The Princesses' Advocate
by Robin Maxwell
Summary: Sequel to Fire or Ice?Arc's real family in Makai has a few secrets that she never knew about.What happens when demons start to attack her & her frineds. & who is this new dog demon?
1. Fate Intervens

"The Princesses' Advocate"

By: Robin Maxwell

Sequel to "Fire or Ice?"

OK, I REWROTE THE LAST CHAPTER TO FIRE OR ICE, SO PLEASE CHECK IT OUT.

love,

Robin

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or the characters. But, I do own Arc, her parents, and whoever else isn't in the show. K? K!

Chapter One

Fate Intervenes

"Arc? What are you looking at?"

"Arc?"

Arc's eyes roamed over the tree tops of the woods, seeing shadows that shouldn't be there.

All was silent and than, one of the shadows moved.

"Someone's here", she announced.

Hiei and the others looked towards the trees and watched as shadowed figures moved from tree top to tree top.

Yusuke and Kuwabara got off the swings they were sitting in as Kurama pulled the rose out of his hair.

"Who do you think they are", Kurama asked.

"Don't know. Don't care", Kuwabara said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Get ready."

Everyone was silent, and than a smirk on Yusuke's face appeared as shadow after shadow leapt towards them.

A large shadow loomed over a tree and looked straight at Arc, who didn't move. The shadow jumped up, and the tree disappeared.

It was never in a tree.

Yusuke punched the demon in the face, shoving its face into the sand as Kuwabara ate dirt before he rolled out of the way as a demon's foot that came rushing down at the back of his neck. Kurama called on his rose whip and sliced two demons in half.

A large black hand with long, razor like claws punched the small Mary-go-round, bending it and than breaking it in half as Arc jumped out of the way. She smirked as she slid in the dirt and a small blue flame began to engulf her hand and part of her wrist.

The demon roared, and than advanced. Arc stayed in the soft sand and waited, but got a weird look on her face when she saw the creature stop abruptly. A long, shiny blade appeared through their chest from behind, ripping them in half.

"Damn you, Hiei. That one was mine", Arc yelled at Hiei.

Hiei just smirked and said, "Hn."

"Bastard", she muttered as he disappeared.

She stood up just in time, as a small, fast demon ripped at her stomach, grazing the side of it. She grabbed their arm, with the flame still in hand, and ripped it off. A shrill cry was heard before the demon tried to bite her.

A pole of ice ripped out of the black flesh on the demon's back as Arc placed her hand to their chest.

The body fell and began to disappear into the night shadows around her. When she turned around, she saw the same thing happening to the other demons that had been killed or badly wounded.

A few minutes later, and the gang was done. All the black, shadowed bodies of their enemy were gone; disappeared.

"Who were those guys", Kuwabara asked.

"They were shadow demons. They're used as assassins in Makai, which means someone sent them specifically after us", Kurama stated.

"Well that's great. Guess we'll have to go see the toddler tomorrow", the detective said.

"Joy", Arc muttered as she walked past the others and made her way through the small park. The others began to follow after her.

When they cam across the entrance, Kuwabara and Yusuke went in one direction, while Kurama went in the other. Hiei and Arc both left together, on their way back to their new place. Or really, Hiei's new place.

XXXXX

"So, you wanna stay up and watch a movie tonight", she asked.

"Hn."

"OK, I'll take that as a yes to a chick flick, than."

Hiei growled and Arc smirked as she put an arm around his shoulder.

He threw it off and placed his own around her waist and held her tighter to him. She sighed, but let him hold her and growl at a few people that passed by and stared at her.

"You know, you're a little over protective."

He didn't listen to her. When they finally reached his apartment, they walked up the stairs and went inside.

Arc went to their room and pulled off her clothes and got into a large white button down shirt. She than placed on a pair of black, silky boxers and took her hair down from it's pony tail.

Hiei walked in a few moments after she was done, and began to disrobe himself as well. They weren't ready to see each other naked yet, after only a few months since they had defeated Ruri.

"When are you going to go visit your parents?"

"In a few days." She had been staying with Hiei and her parents off and on for the last few months, even though her parents thought that she stayed with her friends.

She just wasn't ready to go home. She was still afraid of what she was capable of. She didn't want to hurt them anymore, even though they practically begged her to come back.

She wouldn't do that to them again.

Arc turned around once Hiei said he was done dressing, and walked towards the living room. She started picking through movies while Hiei watched her with something in his eyes.

"You wanna watch Underworld?"

He didn't answer her.

Sigh.

She put the movie in the DVD player, and than walked past him to the small kitchen, and began to make popcorn. She grabbed a few drinks out of the fridge and a tub of ice cream.

A few minutes later, she was trying to balance a bowl of popcorn, two beers, a tub of ice cream, and some chocolate in her hands.

Hiei watched her as she walked slowly across the room.

"Hurry up."

She still walked slowly.

"Grr..."

He speed up beside her and grabbed the ice cream and a beer and than ran back over to the couch as the movie started.

"Thanks", she said sarcastically.

They sat down and watched the movie. Half way through it, Hiei was done with his ice cream and beer, when he looked over at Arc, who was really into the movie.

He looked back to the movie, trying to get certain thoughts out of his head.

'She's hundreds of years younger than me! She's not going to want to do that', he told himself as he tried to watch the movie.

A hand suddenly crept up his arm.

"Hey, Hiei. You want some-", she was cut off as Hiei lunged at her and kissed her passionately. She didn't really mind, but she didn't like to be knocked to the floor with her shoes under her.

So, she pushed him back up onto the couch and straddled him. He placed his hands on her hips as she bent over and enveloped his lips with her own. Their tongues danced in each others mouths, fighting for domination, in which Hiei won, at least in this round.

His hands traveled up her back and than down her sides, causing her to shiver slightly. She in return, rubbed his chest under his shirt, touching him in all the right places. She grazed her nails lightly over his chest, and than stomach, making him moan lightly.

She smiled into the kiss as she broke free and started kissing him down his neck, sucking and swirling her tongue over his hot flesh.

He placed his hands in her hair, and looked to the side absentmindedly. The sword fight scene in the movie was on and he suddenly became interested in it. He pushed Arc off of him and sat up to watch the scene.

Arc just looked at him and than at the screen, her mouth open slightly before she started to laugh.

"You are so lucky that I like this movie so much, or else I might have hurt you for that", she said, as she sat down and watched the movie also.

They both fell into the movie, again. When it was over, Hiei wanted to continue what they were doing earlier, but Arc smirked wickedly and said, "I'm too tired."

A fake yawn was also included as she went to their room, leaving a confused Hiei on the couch.

'Oh well, there's more ice cream in the fridge', he said to himself as he went to go get it.

XXXXXX

The next day, Arc went for a run in the park. Hiei was still sleeping on the couch when she left, and didn't want to bother him.

After about thirty minutes of running, she stopped by a water fountain and took a long drink. She wiped her mouth, and said, "Yuk."

She decided to take one of the small paths in the woods, and started off again. Halfway into the woods, she came across a clearing. She stopped momentarily, feeling something.

She looked around the dense tree tops, and spotted something. A small demon came flying at her from the tree's shadow and attacked her. She noticed how it was the same kind as earlier that night, and cut it down with her ice dagger.

The dagger immediately extended into a sword as five more came flying from shadows all over the clearing.

Her sword made contact with the black flesh again and again, ten bodies disappearing again. The more she killed, the more that came at her from the shadows.

She was outnumbered in a matter of minutes.

Sword in one hand, and a flame in the other, she ripped through demon after demon that came at her. A long slash made itself present on her cheek, that started to heal after she forced her flame engulfed hand into the demon's stomach. Her breathing was becoming harsh as she forced her sword into the chest of the black creature.

She stepped back a few steps as they advanced on her. Her back hit someone else's and she registered the warm feeling it produced. Unlike the creature behind her, the demons that were trying to kill her had no body warmth, just coldness.

She suddenly felt safe, even though she had no idea why, or who they were. But, they fought back to back, destroying the demons that came at them.

Arc could hear the sound of flesh ripping behind her as the person's claw made impact with another demon. This sound roared in her ears during the whole fight, until the demons stopped coming.

Arc turned around and looked at her companion. A tall girl with silver hair and maroon eyes stared at her. Small dog ears rested at the top of her head. She suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed her head.

"Princess Archer."

XXXXXX


	2. Princess? You've Got to be Kidding

Hey guys, I'm back, and i'm happy about that. I've missed writing so much, but I did have a great time. Unfortunately, I will be leaving in a few days, on Monday to be exact to go to West Virgina for a while. Don't know when i'll get back, so... yeah. sorry. anyway, on with the story.

Chapter Two

Princess? You've got to be kidding!

Arc's jaw hung open for at least five minutes before she closed it and blinked.

"What?"

"I've been searching for you, Princess. Your uncle wants to see you."

"My uncle?"

The dog demon stood up and looked down at Arc.

"Yes, your mother's brother. He is the King of the Fire Lands in Makai."

"Wait, are you telling me that my mother was a princess, and so am I?"

The demon shook her head and than said, "Your uncle is in danger, and he needs to see you."

Arc looked down at the ground and thought for a few minutes before she said, "I will go, but what about my life here?"

"You have duties in Makai. I know not of what you should do about your life here."

Arc shook her head slightly, trying to think of what to do.

"What is your name", she finally asked.

"My name is Nari, your highness."

"Please call me Arc."

Nari nodded her head.

"I need to tell someone where I am going."

"All right, but I shall go with you. Just in case more of those demons come. I am here to protect you, My Lady."

She bowed again and Arc rolled her eyes.

"It's Arc, and you don't have to do that. Come on, let's go."

With that, they left, walking towards Hiei's place.

XXXXXX

"Will you tell the others?"

"I'm going with you", he said stubbornly.

Arc had been trying to talk some sense into Hiei for the last twenty minutes, and than gave up and called Yusuke and the others. Of course, they arrived a few moments later.

"If you're going, we're going", Yusuke announced as he and Kuwabara waltzed into the apartment.

Nari was currently messing with the computer, trying to figure it out.

"Hiei hasn't even figured it out yet", Arc told her.

Nari just kept on staring at it before she finally hit it.

A small stream of smoke came out of the top as a few sparks shot out at her. The monitor was now broken, and it's screen cracked.

Arc fumed and glared at her for a few moments before saying, "That's the third time someone has broken that thing!"

She than calmed down, as Nari looked a bit unsure about everything.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just have Hiei get another one."

"Hn."

"Whatever, are we all here?"

"Kurama should be here in a moment", Kuwabra said.

Just than, he came through the door with a small smile on his face.

"OK, we're all here. Let's go. Nari, lead the way."

Nari stepped up to Kurama and they had a small staring contest before he smiled pleasantly and blinked.

She walked by him, and they all left.

XXXXX

"WOW, this place is huge", Kuwabara said as he looked up at the high walls of the castle.

"This way."

They all followed Nari through the castle, and than finally came across two large double doors with four guards outside.

Nari turned around and said, "I'm sorry, but your friends will have to stay out here. Your Uncle instructed me to only allow you in."

They all looked a bit skeptical, except for Arc who looked anxious.

"OK, I'll be out soon you guys, so be good. And Yusuke, don't pick a fight with anyone, OK?"

He sighed and than told her, "Fine. Whatever."

She smiled, and than followed Nari in through the large, steel doors.

At the end of the long room, sat a man that looked no older than thirty upon the throne. A few more guards were scattered about the room, and he ordered them to leave.

After they were gone, Arc and Nari were the only one's left in the room with the King. He looked at her a bit skeptically.

"Archer, where have you been all this time?"

"I've lived in the ningen world all my life."

"No wonder it took us so long to find you."

He smiled than and said, "Do you know why you are here?"

"No, sir."

The smile dropped and he looked at Nari for a brief second.

"Nari here is the General of my army, and is the strongest fighter we have. She is very loyal, and I hope that you will keep her by your side in the future. She is one of the very few that can be trusted amongst this Kingdom."

She looked at him questionably.

"What do you mean?"

"Archer, I have been here since before your mother ran away with your father. She was banished after that. When my wife and son died, I had no one to take my place. And now, I fear that someone is trying to kill me. Someone from my own home. Nari has already told me that you have been attacked as well, which means they are also after you. Whoever it is, they want the kingdom for themselves."

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"Archer, if I die, you are to take my place as Queen."

Arc looked at him with pure shock on her face.

'A queen? I can't be a queen!'

"But, I can't do that. I don't know how to", she tried to reason.

"Everyone in this kingdom knows what you did to Lady Ruri, one of the most powerful demons in Makai, or at least, she use to be, until you destroyed her."

"Still, that doesn't mean I know how to be a queen."

He smiled lightly and than said, "We will teach you."

She was dumbfounded. She couldn't be a queen! She didn't know how to, didn't want to know how to!

Than something hit her.

"Wait, I only have to become Queen if you... die, right?"

He nodded.

"Fine, than my friends and I will be your personal body guards and kill this bastard for you, so we can be on a merry way home."

He was taken aback by her bluntness and word usage, but was over all surprised.

"It will not be that simple", was the only thing he said.

"We'll see about that."

He dismissed her and she left. When she went out the doors, she saw Yusuke asking one of the guards for a light.

"Yusuke, leave him alone."

"Oh come on, they're fire demons. It ain't gonna hurt them to light my cigarette."

"No, but it'll hurt you", she said as the guard lit the cigarette.

Yusuke screamed as his bangs caught on fire.

"Dammit!"

Kuwabara started to laugh his ass off as Yusuke did the stop, drop, and roll.

"Idiot", Hiei muttered.

XXXXXX

"So, what did they want?"

"Nothing much, they just want me to be Queen."

Everyone stopped, and Arc continued walking.

"What", she asked as she stopped to look back at them.

"Did you say yes?"

"Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"My uncle is afraid that someone is after him and they are also after me, so he said that if he dies, than he wants me to take his place. I told him that we would be his personal body guards until we find the bastard and kill him."

They just stared at her for a few seconds before she continued.

"Hey, it was either that or me leave you guys to learn how to be all royal like and shit."

"So, we get to stay here", Yusuke asked.

"Yeah", she said slowly, wondering what he was getting at.

"YES", he shouted as he jumped up and down.

"Yeah, we get to be treated like royalty, and have lots and lots of food, and people wait on us hand and foot."

"Uh... Yusuke?", he didn't answer.

"Yusuke!"

"What?"

"We're body guards, not guests. We will probably get rooms, but I don't know about the other stuff. I have to ask Nari first."

"Awe man", he whined.

She smiled to herself as she looked at him pout.

XXXXXX

"Hey guys, Nari's gonna show us to our rooms."

"Yes! Oh yeah, I knew we were gonna be treated like rich people."

"Shut up Yusuke!"

"Yes Queenie."

Arc growled at him as Nari showed them to their rooms.

"You will be sharing rooms. You two will have this room", she said as she pointed to Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Bummer", Arc heard him mutter as he went into the room.

"You two will get this room", she said to Hiei and Kurama.

"And Princess Archer, you shall have this room."

"What did I tell you-", she was cut off as she looked at the large room with it's many paintings, large bed that hung by chains from the ceiling, and fancy curtains. She walked in and looked at the chandelier above her head that held at least fifty candles in them, covered by small, red glass squares. A rug under her feet brought her attention to the battle scene that was woven into it.

She looked at the battle of fire youkais and what looked to be water demons. She saw her uncle standing on a mount in the middle of the picture, with the head of a woman with long wispy blue hair in his hand. Others around him had their swords in the air as they cheered.

She turned away from the carpet and saw that Nari was staring at her.

"You have missed quite a few things here, but you'll catch up. Good day My Lady", and with that she left the room and closed the door.

Arc looked around at the paintings and noticed one that had a picture of Ruri. Except, it was only the girl's head. A tall demon with blue hair and red eyes was standing there, holding her head by her hair.

"Guess that's how they see me. No wonder my uncle looked a bit disappointed when he saw me."

She looked away from the picture. She didn't like it, it resembled the picture of the battle on the rug, and it's not like it even happened that way. The only thing she remembered in that split second before she ripped out the bitch's heart was Hiei.

She walked over to the bed and studied it. She jumped on, after seeing that it was safe. It moved along with her motions, and just swung in the air.

"This should be interesting."

XXXXXX


	3. The Conviction

Sorry it's so late, but I had bad writer's block. Well, sorry for the lateness again, here it is. Hope you enjoy. Love you all!

Robin

Chapter Three

The Conviction

The next morning, Arc woke up to the sound of knocking at her door. She got up lazily and answered the door.

"What time is it?"

"It's still early in the morning, Princess."

"Nari, what have I told you?"

Nari ignored her as she called in a few maids who had fabric and other utensils in their hands.

"Uh, what's going on?"

"You'll see", was all that Nari said as the door to her room closed.

XXXXXX

"Where is she", Yusuke grumbled as he and the others waited in the dining hall. They each had black and red armor(think The Last Samurai), and swords at their sides.

Just then, Nari came into the room with a few maids behind her.

"May I introduce Princess-", she was interrupted as Arc came into the room.

"I don't need no big announcement. It's bad enough I have to wear this stuff."

Everyone looked at her, and at what she was wearing.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing", Kuwabara and Yusuke said in unison.

She didn't look very happy. She was wearing a long white gown that had silver embroidery and a few rings and a necklace. They were all silver with either a sapphire or a diamond in them.

"She refused to wear a crown", Nari said.

Hiei and the others just looked at her, and a few of them grinned.

"Good old stubborn Arc", Yusuke said.

"Shut it, Urameshi", she said.

"Well, now that we are all here. How about we eat?"

They all sat down and the food was brought out to them. It looked so good, and Nari was trying to keep Arc civilized while she ate, but it was no use.

XXXXXX

After breakfast, they all ventured around the castle, just looking around. Kuwabara and Yusuke were messing around with each other while the others were studying the demons that lived there.

Arc still hadn't found anyone suspicious yet, as she looked around with Nari.

"Hey, Nari. Who do you think would try to do something like this?"

"Well, I told you Uncle this, but he didn't believe me."

"What?"

"The Colonel under me is a very nasty demon. He's always fought to get his way, which isn't wrong, until you kill innocents to get it. When I told your uncle this, he thought I was just paranoid. See, he and I have always been I guess you could say, rivals. He wants to be General, and I think he may want to be King. With your Uncle gone, you as his rightful heir would take the throne. But, if you died, than it would go to me. But, no one has tried to attack me yet."

"Uh, well I don't like the way this guy sounds. What is his name?"

"He is Colonel Yutaka."

"Well, I think I would like to meet him soon."

"He will be having lunch with us today."

"Good."

Arc noticed the weapon that Nari carried than. She had never seen it before though.

"What's the name of your sword?"

Nari looked at her, and than untied the black ties that held the sword to her back. It had two blades on each end, with a dark red handle in the middle. It had white fur on the ends of each side of the handle, along with a small black ribbon that was tied tightly to it that had two canine teeth attached to it.

"This is just a double bladed sword. I just got it back. It had been damaged badly in a fight a few weeks ago."

"Who were you fighting?"

"A couple of tiger demons. I hate them, they almost ripped off my clothes, stupid demons."

All was silent for a few moments before Nari clapped her hands together and said, "Oh yes. I almost forgot to tell you. Your uncle wants to see you later today. He thinks it would be good if you two got to know each other."

Arc smiled at that and than thought, 'I wander if he will tell me what my mother was like?'

Arc and Nari continued to walk around until lunch was called.

XXXXXX

"Colonel, I would like for you to meet my niece, Princess Archer."

The Colonel bowed as Arc entered the room last. She was seated on the right side of her uncle, and Nari on his left. The disgusting Colonel sat beside Nari as Hiei sat beside Arc.

"Dinner is served", one of the waiters said as their dishes were placed in front of them.

"Good, I'm starving", Yusuke said as he rubbed his hands together.

Everyone started to dig in, and the Colonel watched the King with a small sparkle to his eye.

A few minutes passed and the King said, "I hope Nari has been a good tour guide."

Everyone shook their head and than began eating again.

"How long do you think-", he suddenly stopped as he grabbed his throat. His face was turning red and he started to sweat.

"Your highness", Nari and Yutaka said.

Arc ran to get help and a few guards came in and took him to his room. His personal doctors came into the room and everyone was rushed out.

"Shit, what do you think happened", Yusuke asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"He was poisoned", Arc said in a monotone voice.

"Arc, are you going to be all right."

She didn't answer.

XXXXXX

Nari came up the stairs a few minutes later after a maid ran to get her.

"What did they want?"

"One of the slaves that tasted the King's food just died."

Everyone was silent, and than Arc got off the wall and walked through the door. A few doctors were trying to rush her out but she pushed them aside.

"You must leave", one of them instructed.

"Get away from me, now", she told him in an icy voice.

"I can't."

She shoved him so hard to the side that he hit the wall with a loud thud. He fell to the floor and left a crack in the wall.

Everyone got out of her way as she went to the bed. Her uncle was coughing badly, and he was sweating profusely.

She took his hand as he gave it to her and said hoarsely, "I'm sorry we couldn't get to know each other better."

He tried to smile, but it turned into another cough. She smiled down at him and told him that it was OK.

"You have to take my place. And keep Nari by your side. Please", he almost begged as his eyes started to water up. He was having trouble breathing.

His reddish orange eyes went wide and he squeezed her hand before he let go. He didn't breathe.

One of the doctors pushed her out of the way and all was silent to her as the room was filled with noise from the doctors and a few maids that started to cry.

'Why?'

Her eyes started off into the room, not looking at anything in particular as Nari and Yutaka came into the room.

Nari clenched her fists as the Colonel started to close the man's open eyes on the bed.

He was dead.

XXXXXX

"It was the General. She would have been next in line for the throne", the man said, getting the room of men to agree with him.

Arc stood up from her seat and said, "I was the one to be next in line."

Everyone looked at her, and they started to reconsider. The man pretending to be a judge saw this and said, "She was probably planning on killing the Princess later. It's her! I know it is, it's logical!"

Everyone in the large round room started to make an uproar of their agreement.

Arc tried to speak again, but no one listened to her. She tried her best to defend Nari, but no one would listen to her or Nari. Then the Colonel put his few words in and it was over. Nari was convicted of the King's murder.

"Burn her! Kill her! Make her pay", the men in the room shouted at the fake judge.

This was not fair, not reasonable. They gave her no chance to defend herself, and not even the Princess's words could convince them.

Nari was taken to the dungeons.

XXXXXX

"We have to get her out."

"Yeah, we all know she didn't do it. Let's go."

Arc and the others, except for Kuwabara, who was dead asleep went down into the dungeons to help free Nari.

They looked through the dark cells, Arc's blue flame their only light.

They came to a stop as they saw her maroon eyes glint an eerie blue from the flame.

"Nari, we're here to get you out."

Nari looked up.

"What good will it do."

"We all know you didn't do it. I will need your help later, Nari. Don't give up now. My uncle wanted you to help me, and I need it. Please, Nari."

She stared at Arc and then stood up.

"Where will I go?"

"You can stay in Ningekai with Kurama. We will stay here and find the bastard that did this and prove him guilty, I swear it."

"It was Yutaka."

"I know", Arc said.

They had knocked out the guard earlier, so no one could hear them as Hiei pulled the door from it's hinges. Arc took off the manacles on Nari's wrists, and they left.

XXXXXX


	4. The New Ruler

OK, right now I'm in West Virginia, and this is the first time I've been able to get on the internet. I will be back probably on Monday. YES! Anyway, I will update this and Dark Waters; hopefully. OK, love you all, and hope you einjoy.

Love,

Robin

Chapter four

The New Ruler

Nari was resting at Hiei's place, where Kurama would check up on her every day. It was the middle of summer, and it was hot in the small apartment that the two demons shared.

Nari walked around in some borrowed clothes, a small white tank top that showed her midriff, and a pair of cut off shorts that were way too short. But she didn't care, she was bloody hot, and she had broken the air conditioning when she tried to figure it out.

Kurama came in through the door saying, "I'm back."

'Like it's not obvious', she mused to herself.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the burgers and fries that he had gotten her. She wasn't accustomed to their food yet, but this one was thing that she loved right away, besides steak.

She ate one hamburger, and than started on her second one as she sat in front of the T.V.

"My, someone sure is hungry", Kurama said as he walked towards her. She glared at him and he smiled.

'Damn him. He smiles too much. I wanna rip that stupid thing off his face sometimes, no, all the times!'

"What's in the other bag?"

"Oh, I thought that after we ate, we could do something besides watch T.V."

She looked at him suspiciously. 'What is he up to', she thought.

He pulled it out and placed it on her head.

"What the hell is this thing?"

"It's a hat. So no one can see your dog ears."

She poked at it and than pulled it off, and looked at it.

It read, "I love boys, they're stupid", with a pink bunny touching his nose.

"I like my ears", she said stubbornly.

"I like them too, but ningens won't understand them", he said as he placed it back on her head.

She stuck her tongue out at him and began eating again.

'Stupid Kurama', she thought as she looked over at him.

'Damn him, he's smiling again!'

XXXXXX

Arc watched as a few men of the new General's army marched off into the woods. They had gone out everyday for the last six days, searching for Nari. She knew it wouldn't last much longer, Yutaka didn't really care, just so long as she was out of the picture.

Arc now feared what would become of her. The others had stayed with her, but she had refused to eat for the last couple days. They all did. No one trusted anyone, except for the four that didn't want to be at the castle.

Yutaka was now sucking up to Arc, and it made her sick to see this man that had murdered her uncle, accused Nari of a crime she didn't commit, and look at her with eyes that held loathe in them, act the way he was. She wanted to kill him, right then and there, in front of everyone. She didn't care, she wanted him dead.

"Princess, your day of coronation for Queen is tomorrow. Are you ready?"

She looked down at him as he bowed, and glared at the top of his head. He looked to be about twenty, with long black hair that was tied back into a long pony tail that stopped just above his lower back. He had gold, untrustworthy eyes, that held a sparkle to them day and night.

She wanted to rip those eyes out, and choke him with his own hair. But, that would be too good of a death for this disgusting scum.

No, he deserved much worse, and Arc was thinking about torturing him day and night. She just had to get proof that he was the one that had done it, but how? He was smart, and sneaky, but he would lose. He had too, right? The bad guy always losses, doesn't he?

"Yes", she said icily.

He shivered slightly, and almost rethought his next course of action, but he recovered soon after.

'No, I will be King', he thought as a wicked smirk grew on his face.

She waved her hand at him and he left the room with another bow.

"Have you got anything yet", she asked Hiei and the others.

He shook his head, and she sighed. She got up and went to the window again, looking out at the tree tops around them. She wanted out of the castle, she hated being cooped up in there. It was stuffy, and hot, and it reminded her of death and betrayal.

She wanted to escape, she didn't want to be Queen, or even a Princess. But she couldn't let Yutaka get the Kingdom, he would send it and all of its people to hell. Everyone would starve, be treated like slaves, if all of them weren't turned into one, and die of the plague that he would surely bring.

She didn't know what she would do, but she sure as hell wouldn't let her people die. Her people, it sounded so foreign, and huge, like it couldn't possibly belong to her. Nothing that big and life changing could belong to her, in some sense anyway. She owned these people, their land, their food, their money. It was too big of a responsibility for her.

'How could my Uncle think I was ready for something like this, if he did think that at all?'

XXXXX

Kurama grabbed Nari's hand as they walked through a crowd of school kids. She growled at him, but he didn't pay any attention.

Once they got through the crowd, she snatched her hand away.

"Pervert", she muttered.

"What did you say, Miss Nari?"

"Call me that again and I'll burn your tail, fox."

"Oh, aren't we a bit touchy today?"

"We will not be "touchy" in anyway, you perverted fox!"

Kurama laughed at her and she didn't think anything was funny at all, so she hit him over the head.

"Ow", he said as he rubbed the top of his head. Nari continued walking without him, and right into a street.

"Watch it, bitch", some man shouted at her as she stepped out in front of his car.

"Move", he yelled at her.

She stared daggers at him, and then punched the hood of his car. It had a large dent in it now, and steam started to float up from under the raised sides of the hood.

"Don't talk to me like that ever again, you stupid ningen!"

Kurama then ran up to her and grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her away.

The man just stared at his car in disbelief as cars behind him honked their horns.

XXXXXX

"What the hell did you do that for? I was about to have some fun."

"You can't just go around punching cars and most importantly, ningens. You'll get arrested, and then Arc would kill me."

"And I care because?"

"Can you just behave, and I'll buy you a nice juicy steak?"

"Yes", she said as she followed him, trying to act good.

XXXXXX

"Where did your friend go", Yutaka asked.

Arc looked at him and knew he was conspiring something.

"He had to go back to ningekai to be with his family."

"Oh. Too bad he won't be here for your coranation."

She didn't say anything as she looked away, and stood up. She was about to become Queen, and she didn't know if she was ready. It was a huge responsibility, and she didn't know if she was ready for that or not.

The stupid demons there had put her in a huge robe that was a dark red, with white fur that was trimmed around it. It was tickling the back of her neck, and she didn't think she would make it without having to scratch it.

Hiei and the others watched her worriedly, expecting her to be shot down at any moment. They all walked out in front of her as they made their way out of the room. A few minutes later, and they stood in front of two large double doors. When the doors opened, they entered a large room with hundreds of youkai's staring at them.

Arc entered a few minutes later, all by herself as she walked down the aisle. It was long and she was afraid the she would trip.

'Damn bastards, they don't HAVE to stare at me so hard!'

When she came up to where the crown sat, and a man that would perform the ceremony, she stopped and dropped to one knee. (i don't know how these things work, so i'm just swinging it here. So, uh... yeah.)

The man began preaching in an ancient language that she didn't understand. She thought she was going to pass out from the heat before he would finish.

When he was done, he held out her hand for him to take. She took it and he raised her and turned her, so everyone could see her face when he put the crown on.

He picked up the large jeweled crown and placed it atop her head.

'Damn, that thing's pretty heavy', she thought as she tried to balance the stupid thing on her head. She walked up to the throne behind her then, and sat down. Everyone clapped. A joyous thing, had it actually sounded like they were happy. They did not.

XXXXXX

"Now, for the requirements to be Queen", the man who she guessed was some kind of preacher said.

"The Queen must choose a mate to be king within thirty days. He has to be a prince, and a fire youkai. If she does not find a mate within that time, then her title will be taken from her and given to the next person in line."

Arc froze at those words. She looked over at Hiei, and he stared at the man who had just uttered those words. Everything else he said was drowned out as she stared off into space. Her anger began to rise, and her eyes began to glow an eerie red. Hiei saw this.

/Control yourself./

/Damn these stupid demons. Can't I just kill them/

/I would love too myself, but we can't. Now, calm down before they start to think something is wrong with you./

Arc's eyes went back to normal, but her anger stayed with her. The link between her and Hiei was cut, and she just sat there as she looked around at all of the youkai there.

'Damn fire youkai's!'

XXXXXX

"Uh, Nari? Could you please leave the cat alone?"

Nari was growling at a cat in the large tree, and the cat hissed back. Nari got on all fours, as she jumped up into the tree, knocking off her hat in the process.

"Nari", Kurama called back up at her. She was starting to draw attention to herself.

'Dammit', Kurama thought.

Nari was now on the same branch as the cat, and she walked closer to it. The cat's claws came at her face, but she dodged them. Before she could sink her teeth into the black and gray fur of the animal, Kurama jumped up and grabbed her around the waist. He jumped back out of the tree with her in his arms, much to her displeasure.

"I'll kill you, you stupid fox", she snarled at him.

"Yes, and I'm sure you would enjoy it too, but you're attracting too much attention."

He picked her hat up, and put her down while placing the hat over her cute little dog ears.

"Stupid fox", she muttered as they continued to walk around.

"What happened to you behaving for me, so you could get some steak?"

"But there was a cat", she said in a childish voice.

"No buts, you told me you were going to behave." He looked at her sternly, and then shook his head.

"One more chance."

She jumped up and grabbed him in a hug.

"On one condition, though."

"Nani", she said, as she let go of him, and stopped jumping up and down.

"You have to let me pick out clothes for you to wear for dinner tonight. And you HAVE to wear them."

"OK."

A small pout made itself present on her face, and he brushed over her lips with his thumb.

"You look so cute when you pout."

Nari was taken aback by this, and then punched him on top of his head. He fell to the ground, and she walked past him.

"Stupid fox. I'll do what you said, but don't lie to me! Got it?"

She stopped adn waited for him. He got up, and said, "Got it. But I wasn't lieing."

"Whatever", she said, and then stalked away, with Kurama following her.

XXXXXX


	5. Faded Eyes, Faded Lives

Chapter five

Faded Eyes, Faded Lives

"Oh I'm going to kill them! I hate them! Please Hiei, can I hurt them?"

Hiei looked over at Arc and then looked back out the window. This was the only time they got so spend time with each other. Late at night, when she was supposed to be asleep.

Arc looked around her new room, after giving up hope that Hiei would actually talk to her. It really wasn't just a room, it was a few rooms! They were huge, and overly extravagant. She liked that the bed wasn't on chains, but she could fit all of her friends on it and still have room to play a game of cards on it. It was just... huge!

"Hn."

Arc looked over at Hiei, as he finally said something. And of all the things he could say!

"Oh, damn you, Hiei. Say something besides THAT!"

"Hn."

"That's it!"

Arc lunged at him, and they went tumbling to the floor, thanks to Hiei, who didn't want to fall out the window. She pinned him down to the floor, and then he flipped her over and straddled her.

"Give up."

"No", she yelled as she wrapped her legs around his shoulders and pulled him down to the floor.

She hurriedly sat up, while unwrapping her legs, and tried to sit on him. But, he was too fast. Arc found herself laying down on her back, with Hiei sitting on top of her.

"I win."

"No, you don't."

She just wouldn't give up, no matter what. She was just plain stubborn. When she finally got him off of her, she accidentally held him down, with her head in the wrong place.

"Oops", she said as she released him.

"Hn."

She was suddenly picked up and thrown on to the bed. Hiei jumped up with her, and pinned her wrists down to the bed, and kissed her. Her eyes were open for a few seconds before she closed them and smiled into the kiss. She freed her hands, and pushed back on his chest, turning him over onto his back. He glared at her for a moment and then stared at her with bewilderment as she jumped off the bed.

"How about we get out of here?"

She ran towards the window and saw that a little bit of snow falling. She looked back at Hiei, who was still staring at her.

She leapt out the window.

XXXXXX

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Kurama and Nari were in a car, much to her dislike, and were somewhere in the country side now. The had been in the car for nearly an hour, and it was driving Nari crazy!

"Why do I have to wear this", she asked as she looked down at her clothes. She was wearing some more of Arc's clothes, again. A black string bikini that had two pirate skulls on each boob, and one right over her crotch, a white tank top, and a pair of black shorts.

"You just do. Now, I think you'll like this place. But, there are rules that I need you to follow."

She started to play with her ears, that she thankfully didn't have to cover up anymore, since she could now will them to go away whenever she had to pretend to be a ningen. Of course, she could only do that after Kurama went to Koenma earlier that day and asked for the ear ring she was wearing now. She only got it because of what had happened earlier, but she didn't care. At least she didn't have to wear that stupid hat anymore.

"Rule number one, you are not allowed to show anybody your true form. Number two, no using your demon powers or strength, at least not all of it. And number three... have fun", he said the last part with a smile.

"Whatever", she retorted as she stuck her head out the open window.

When they reached their destination, Nari was a bit confused about why they had stopped there of all places. It was very noisy, and there were a bunch of fat, stinky ningen men. She could smell them from the car, along with some women who smelled of beer and sweat. Then, she smelled something wonderful. Mud!

She jumped out of the car, after fixing her ears, with Kurama following her. She ran towards a crowd of men, who stood around a small ring where people were wrestling in the mud. Two women in bikini's were wrestling now, and so far, the one in red was winning.

The other girl lost in a matter of minutes, and was booed as she walked off. The other girl, raised her hands in victory and called up someone to challenge her.

Kurama appeared out of nowhere and said, "She would like a go."

Everyone turned to Nari, and looked at her skeptically. She was tall, but thin, with her long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Come on", the woman shouted.

Nari stripped out of her outer clothes, and jumped into the ring. She savored the way the mud squished in between her toes, as she approached the young fiery haired woman. Green eyes met maroon, and then they started going at it.

Nari grabbed the girl by her waist, and picked her up. She threw her down onto her back, and then got up. The women groaned in pain, and then stood up shakily. Nari gave her no time to prepare, as she kicked her feet from under her, and put her in a head lock.

The woman was at a daze now, and didn't even now she had lost until someone picked her up and carried her away. Kurama gave her a stern look and then smiled. She was grinning from ear to ear, and just couldn't hold it back.

Two more girls got into the ring, and came at her at the same time. Nari jumped over them, and kicked them from behind in the butt. They fell over face first in the mud, and got up as quickly as they could. Nari grabbed her wrist and held her elbow downward as she jumped down on one of the girl's back. The girl fell back down into the mud, breathing it in, and then sputtered it back out.

Nari laughed as the other girl tried to hit her, and ended up on her ass in the mud. Nari kicked her in the chest as she stood back up, and she fell back down.

Both girls were out of breath now, and could hardly get up. Nothing was broken, but they sure were in a lot of pain.

Nari was taken by surprise as a big fat guy grabbed her from behind. He held her around her chest, with her arms locked down by her side.

The two girls got back up, and ran towards her, their fists in the air, aimed at her face, but she kicked them back, and they didn't get back up. She freed one of her arms and struck the guy in his gut with her elbow. Considering he was so fat, it didn't hurt as much, since she couldn't use all of her strength, but he still fell backwards, an earth quake accompanying him.

Nari turned around, and saw that no one was coming at her, until the one of the girls moved.

"Ow, my chest", she groaned. The other girl moved her arm, and then tried to get up, but couldn't. Some guys came over to help them up, and they too were carried off.

Nari was getting a few curious, and mean looks, but she didn't care. She was having too much fun. The fat guy behind her finally got up, and charged at her like a bull, but she moved out of the way, and he ran into some other guys, knocking them all down.

She laughed, and then before she knew it, almost everyone there lunged at her. She jumped out of their way, and started wailing on guys left and right. Her foot kicked one guy in his beer belly, and he puked up his dinner.

Arms suddenly closed around her, and she looked up to see Kurama. He pulled her away from the mash pit, and grabbed her clothes and shoes. They then ran back to the car, even though Nari would have loved to stay and kicked some more ass, but she was hungry!

"Did you have fun", he asked with a pleasant ring to his voice.

Nari smiled over at him, and hugged him tightly.

"Yes, that was great."

She let him go and they drove off towards a restaurant, where Kurama ran inside and got the food. He then drove them back to the apartment, where they had steak, and watched a movie.

XXXXXX

"Ahhhh, I'm tired", Kurama said with a yawn.

Nari looked up at him from the couch, and kicked him in the butt, making him turn around.

"Go crash in the bedroom, I'll sleep out here", she said.

"I can't do that, Miss Nari."

"Stop with the politeness, and just go lay down."

"But my mother-"

"Fox, I'm being nice. That's very rare, so stop arguing with me."

She glared at him in a way that said, 'I dare you to disagree.'

"OK, fine, but I have to call my mom."

Nari settled back down on the couch, and closed her eyes as Kurama went to go make a phone call.

She was almost asleep, when she felt a ticklish tingle on her cheek. She looked up and saw Kurama staring down at her, a strand of his hair dancing on her face.

"Good night, miss Nari", he said, as he kissed her on the forehead.

She didn't say anything as she stared at him. He smiled down at her, and then walked to Arc and Hiei's room.

When she heard the door close, she yelled, "Stop calling me that, fox."

With that, she let herself fall asleep.

XXXXXX

"Aren't you upset in the least", Arc's voice asked.

Hiei still stared down at the black water of the lake they had found. It was large, and dark as the night. The stars and trees reflected perfectly like a mirror off of its surface, as well as themselves.

Hiei didn't answer her, and she was beginning to lose her patience.

"Fine, if you don't care, then I'll just marry one of the richest princes they throw at me", she said calmly as she turned away.

Hiei suddenly appeared before her, and glared at her.

"No, you won't."

"And how do you know that?"

A sly smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "You're too stubborn."

She would have smiled, had it not been for what she was thinking about day and night now. She only had twenty-five more days now, before she would either announce her retirement, or who her betrothal would be.

"Nani?"

"I might have to. Whether or not either of us wish it. I can't let Yutaka have the kingdom, he will destroy it. I know he will. But, there is no one else here that is suitable. Only one person is good enough for that role, and they're in exile."

She was staring off into space by now, and she couldn't see the small flash of worry in his eyes as she said those words.

He looked at her, a small, unrecognizable twinge of pain hit him straight in the heart, as if he had been struck by an arrow. He looked down at his chest, and saw that nothing was there. Nothing that could cause that pain anyway.

He looked back at her, still wondering what it was that caused it, and noticed for the fist time what had become of her. Her face was pale, and thinner than usual. Dark circles outlined the bottom of her eyes, and he could see the bright color drifting from her eyes.

She was becoming... someone else. Her mind was flooded with worry, regret, responsibility, and other things he couldn't comprehend. She had self doubt locked into her eyes, along with a sliver of hope. But worst of all, was the lose of faith she had held in him and their relationship. She loved him, yes, but she didn't know if she could continue doing what she believed to be hurting him. She thought that her being in this situation was hurting him, and any chance they might have at being happy together.

She turned to Hiei, and he noticed that something was lingering at the corner of her mind, just sitting on her tongue, waiting for her voice to push it out so it could be heard. He knew what she was thinking, but he didn't want to believe it.

Their eyes locked, and they stood there for a long time before she finally sighed and lowered her eyes. He thought he saw tears forming in them, but she had retreated too soon for him to tell.

"Hiei... you know what I have to do", her voice seemed strained, like she was trying to talk with strep throat.

Hiei was silent, and when she looked up at him, tears flowed out steadily.

"You and the others should leave. I-i... have to stay here, alone." She put emphasis on the last word, and Hiei knew what she meant, but he still didn't want to believe it.

"I'm sorry", she blurted out, as the tears kept coming. When she walked up to him, and gave him a hug, she couldn't stand to look him in the eyes. She turned away and ran off towards the castle, leaving Hiei there. Alone.

XXXXXX

**Don't fret. I really don't know how I'm going to end this, but don't hate me because they broke up. They might get back together in the end. Maybe, if i get enough reviews. Or if i get a lot, than maybe sooner than the end of this story, but you never know, i can be evil. Please don't hate me, cause i love you all. Just remember that, k? k. anyway, please review and come again.**

**Love, **

**Robin**


	6. Our Souls Are No Longer Empty

Chapter six

Our Souls Are No Longer Empty

"We're leaving."

Yusuke looked over at Hiei, and noticed that he seemed more stiff and distant than ever before.

"Why?"

"The Queen wants us to."

None of them had ever referred to Arc as Queen, not even princess. Why was Hiei?

"What did you do, shorty", Kuwabara asked tactlessly.

"Hn."

Hiei then turned around, and they all found themselves face to face with the Queen. Her long, dark red Kimono flowed behind her, looking like a trail of blood. Hiei didn't look at her, rather at the wall beyond her. He couldn't stand to look into her eyes that were becoming less and less like herself every day.

"Arc, we're not leaving you here by yourself. I'm staying here-"

"You all need to leave", her voice said casually.

"What? Why?"

"You have been away from your families for too long. I will be fine here by myself."

Everyone looked at her, excluding Hiei, who was now staring at the floor.

"But-"

"Yusuke, please? I have a responsibility, as do you", she said those words with an unhidden venom, which made Hiei finally lift his eyes up to meet hers.

They were so drained, that they seemed almost gray more than blue. He couldn't look into them any longer, and walked past her, brushing his shoulder against hers in the process.

It felt like her body was on fire, when he touched her. But it vanished as soon as it came, leaving her as cold as ever.

Yusuke looked at her with disappointment, and she couldn't blame him, nor stick up for herself if he had said anything. She almost wish he did, not wanting his light brown eyes to see through her facade and make her break down. She had gone through the most difficult part of her plan, and she wasn't going to give up on it now.

Yusuke walked past her as well, but didn't touch her. Kuwabara followed with a confusing look on his face.

Arc let out a sigh once she knew they wouldn't be able to see her. Her eyes closed, and she put a hand to her head, as if to steady herself from an oncoming head ache that might throw her off her feet.

She walked away, and one soon came to her.

XXXXXXX

"Hiei, stop! Listen to me!"

Hiei stopped finally, having only been because of the hand that held him in place. He looked up into the detectives face, and glared at him with a fire he had never seen before.

"You can't leave her."

"Hn."

"Stop acting like you don't care! Dammit, just feel for once! Show it, there's nothing wrong with that", Yusuke almost shouted at him.

"It's over. There is nothing to feel, or show."

Yusuke stared into his dark crimson eyes, and knew that they were darker for a reason.

"What if something happens to her? You know as well as I do that no one here wants her to be Queen, at least, not the people that matter. They want to get rid of her, and they'll stop at nothing to see that she's gone. Dead, out of their way."

Hiei glared at him more, if it was possible, and said, "She can take care of herself."

He turned his back on Yusuke, and again the confused Kuwabara who couldn't follow what they were saying, and walked away. Out of the castle, out of Makai, and out of Arc's life.

XXXXXXX

"Your Highness", the young man before her said as he bowed and kissed her hand. His fingers were more decorative with rings than her own, and he had an air of confidence about him that made him seem well educated and refined. Even snooty.

"Prince Akashi, it is so nice to finally meet you."

The prince smiled, and she could tell that he was a charmer right away. He could have easily swooned her maids, and she guessed that he had probably done so at his own palace. She didn't think much about him, except for his pitiful attempts to charm her. They wanted to make her laugh, but she couldn't find her voice to do so. Her voice now was cold and plain, nothing like it use to be, and now, the same had happened to her laugh. It was dry, and harsh. She felt colder every time she used it.

XXXXXXX

Nari's eyes opened lazily as she stretched out on the couch, and curled up into a ball for warmth. Her nose then picked up the scent of bacon, and grease. Her ears perked up, and she could hear someone humming.

She smiled to herself as she sat up, and yawned. Her feet carried her to the kitchen, where she stole a piece of bacon from Kurama, who looked disheveled and cheerful.

She patted him on the head after she said good morning, and than went to go take a shower. She still had mud caked on to her feet, and other places.

After a very long shower, she emerged from the bathroom, with Kurama on the couch not eating his food.

"What's wrong?"

He looked up at her and just smiled.

"I was waiting for you."

"Oh", she said uncomfortably.

"You should have started without me."

"That's not very polite. Besides, I made breakfast for you."

She looked up at him and saw that he was smiling, but his eyes looked a bit darker than usual. They were still the same beautiful, bright green eyes, but they held something dark, and untrustworthy in them. Something that he was trying to keep away, locked behind barricaded doors; Something dangerous.

She looked away when she noticed his smile fade, and then his eyes dart down to his plate of cold food.

"Kurama", she said uncertainly, as she placed her hand over his. He looked down at her hand, and then placed his other one over it. When he looked back up at her, he smiled warmly, as if nothing was wrong. She believed him.

XXXXXX

"My Queen, the council would like to know if you have found anyone to your liking yet?'

Arc's now gray eyes glared down at the new General, who bowed lowly before her. She wished she could have spit on him, but it would have done nothing. It would not satisfy her.

"No, I have not."

Yutaka looked up at her, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.

"My Lady, if you do not chose soon, or wisely, than you could find yourself tossed out of the kingdom, and me in your place. But, if I were to take your place, than I would show you sympathy."

She glared even harder at him, her eyes turning to a light shade of red.

"You should know that your Uncle was a fool, and that he was stupid to believe in Nari, who was nothing more than a tramp who would have followed him to bed, if she didn't already do so. And you, My Lady, are young and in love. I see that your beloved is no longer present, has something happened between you two? Perhaps a disagreement about your status, or position? He does not wish to be tied down to someone so important as you, maybe?"

Arc's eyes were now glowing red, and she could feel her blood boil under her skin.

"I see. He did not wish to stay with you because you are becoming dull, and drab. You are thin, and pale, unhealthy looking, My Lady. Perhaps you should see the doctor."

Arc lunged at him after those words, and she didn't care anymore. She could care less about herself, or the kingdom, or about Yutaka. She just wanted to rip off his head!

"GUARDS!"

Six guards suddenly ran into the room, and began to try and pull Arc off of him, with little to no success. The only thing that stopped her from killing him, was the knife that was pressed against her throat. Yutaka's hand holding onto the jewel incrusted handle.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Women are so easily deceived. You are no longer Queen, and everything you have sacrificed has been in vain. You will not die though, I will make you suffer. You friends will not want you now, not after what you did. No, they would be glad if you died."

He pulled back and looked down at her now paler face, and tearful blue eyes. Her arms were clasped behind her back, as her hands were put in shackles, and the crown that had fallen from her head was picked up by Yutaka. He held it to his chest, and made a look of shock and betrayal on his face.

Arc screamed, but it was not out of fear for herself, or the pain that accompanied her now. But for the things she had down for the last few weeks, for what and who she had lost, and now, for it all to be turned into nothing more than ripped up pieces of paper. Like her heart.

XXXXXXX

Hiei's eyes opened as he felt a rush of guilt and pain hit him hard in his chest. He looked up at the night sky, and felt the coldness run along his hands and face. When he felt nothing more, nor heard anything, he closed his eyes again, as if nothing had happened.

XXXXXXX

"She tried to kill me! She probably helped the ex-general Nari with killing off the king. She would have been next in line, and she knew with me out of the way, she wouldn't have to get married for awhile. She probably thought she could get that half-breed in here, just like herself, and marry him. They planned this together."

Everyone in the large, circular room roared with agreement. Arc did nothing to defend herself. She didn't want too, nor did she care what happened to her now.

When they came to the agreement of her being in imprisonment for a year, and than a public burning, they were satisfied, and Arc could care less.

XXXXXXX

Arc's shoulder gave a startling crack as it made contact with the stone wall of the dungeon. She fell to the side, and didn't even bother to pick herself up.

She lay there, just thinking about everything that she had done, and permitted over the last few weeks. When her mind lingered on Hiei, and their last time together, she cried silently. She must have laid there for hours, just staring at nothing, and than start crying again.

Before she realized what she was doing, she began to hum one of her favorite songs. She had forgotten the words, and only remembered the tune, but it calmed her down just the same. She sat up when she heard the iron door creep open, and looked up at the one man she'd do anything to kill.

"Ah, I no longer have to call you Queen, or lady, for you are nothing more than a half breed in rags, with a pretty face. But I would never defile myself with the likes of you. So, don't worry about me. But the other youkai here are another case."

Arc could see a few demons outside of her cell, all of them with a hungry look on their face. She could feel the heat rise up in her, but she felt more hatred than she did fear. When the boot came down on her back, with a punishing force, she bit down on her lip, willing herself not to scream out in pain.

Blood trickled out from the wound it made on her bottom lip, and it fell down her chin in thick droplets. Like a river, rain from the top of a roof; Her old kimono robes.

"I shall become King within a matter of days, and I can change your sentence in any manner I please."

He began to circle her as she sat huddled up on her knees, bent forward over the ground, and said, "What shall I do with you? I could turn you into a maid. Sell you into slavery, perhaps? Or, I could just let you rot in this dungeon, while I dine upon delectable foods, and have pleasurable entertainment, while I know you are down here suffering."

His lips curled up into a sinister smirk, and all she could do was look at the small puddle of blood that fell into her hands.

Hard hands grabbed a handful of her hair and brought her head back, exposing her pale neck. Yutaka stared down at her, and said, "To think that the mysterious, all powerful demon who defeated Lady Ruri, is nothing but a teenage, half breed, fool. Others may think of you as great, only because they have not seen you, but I know the truth. You are nothing more than a disgrace and disappointment. Even your fool of an Uncle saw you as that."

He let her go when he began to feel the room grow cold with animosity. His hands slid to his sword as he backed out of the cell, and through the door.

Arc stared at him, her eyes a deep scarlet with a glassy gloss over them, as he left the room. When the door closed, the room began to go back to its normal temperature, and she let herself fall into a fitful sleep, after many hours of staring at the door.

XXXXXXX

"Do you think she's OK?'

Kurama looked over at Nari, who seemed to be upset, and took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"She'll be fine. We'll go see her soon, I promise."

"That's not a good idea", the detectives voice said. They both turned around and saw Yusuke sitting down on the floor in the corner of the room.

They had all gone to Genkai's, except for Hiei, who was living in different trees from time to time.

"Why do you say that?"

"She's not the same. She even left Hiei."

"What? And no one said anything", Nari's voice boomed.

"I thought something had happened between them, but not something so serious", the fox demon stated.

"Yeah, well who gives a damn anymore."

With that, Yusuke got up off the floor and left the room. When they saw that he was walking around outside, Kurama decided to tell Nari what had happened.

"When he got back from Makai, he found Keiko with another guy. They weren't doing anything, but Yusuke beat him up just the same. So, Keiko's mad at him right now, and well, I guess he's just thinking the worst of things."

Nari just looked around the room and stared at nothing in particular.

"You're all crazy!", she joked.

Kurama smiled at her, and then laid down, putting his head on her lap. She blushed, and he smirked, wrapping an arm around her neck. When he saw her eyes widen, he closed his own and tried to kiss her.

Nari pushed him off of her, and he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"What did I tell you, fox?"

Kurama laughed nervously, and she just glared at him. He jumped up when he saw her lung at her, and she just chased him around the room.

XXXXXXX

Arc woke to the sound of voices outside her door. When she heard them use a word that had become her nick name, she scrambled over to the door to hear better.

"... Yutaka's already King, so he said we could do whatever we want with her", the first voice said. The second one was a bit heavier, and worried almost.

"I heard that she killed Lady Ruri. I wouldn't take her as someone who would go easily."

A small chuckle was heard, and she tightened her fist into a ball.

"I wouldn't want her to come easily, anyway. Besides, those were just rumors. I mean, look at her, she's nothing. It wouldn't even take both of us to restrain her."

Everything was silent for a few minutes, and then she heard someone clap. Apparently, the other man had agreed.

The jingle of keys, and then a loud snap echoed off the walls of her small cell, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck raise.

The door opened, and the two men entered, both with a staff with a small wave of electricity at the end of them.

"You're awake. Even better, we can see the fear on your face."

Laughter rang through the halls, as the door closed, and the light vanished.

XXXXXXX

Weird title, but i liked it. It kinda went with the chapter, but whatever. Anyway, I hope you guy's don't hate me for what i did, but if you do, than well... you're mean:( Jk, but i hope you enjoy, and continue to read, cause i will continue to write, even if you all hate me and wanna kill me in my sleep.

Remember, review, it's up too you if you want arc and hiei to get back together. Hehe, I'm evil!

Love ya,

Robin


	7. Snow and Blood

Chapter seven

Snow and Blood

SIGH!

"I'm so bored", Yusuke drawled.

"Why don't you go see Keiko", Botan said.

"No", he said with a pout.

"Oh, come on, Yusuke. Suck it up. So you made a mistake, but he did like her. She just didn't want anything to do with him, and still doesn't. I can't believe that you would even think that she would do something like that."

Shizuru stuck her cigarette back in her mouth, and drew a long drag on it. She was right, but Yusuke didn't want to admit it. He was still mad, at the guy for hitting on his girl, and at himself for making a fool out of himself.

"She must really hate me", he mumbled to himself.

Shizuru looked over at him, but didn't say anything as she took another hit.

XXXXXXX

The searing pain that burned through her arm, and than throughout her whole body, knocked her to the ground. Arc was pinned to the ground as the other shocker was shoved into her shoulder. With a silent scream, she tried to get up. Picking herself up was harder than she thought, but she just had to get away from them. She may not care about a lot of things, but she sure as hell wouldn't let some filth defile her. Hiei hadn't even done that to her.

'Hiei...'

XXXXXX

Hiei awoke with a jolt on the branch, as another stab of pain hit him in the heart. So, he decided to open his jagan, and when he did, what he saw made him furious.

He retied his bandana, and leapt off towards Makai with such speed, that he had never used before.

XXXXXX

When his name ran off her tongue slowly, she savored it. It brought a small, sad smile to her face. Within a few seconds, the staffs were frozen as they were shoved at her body ruthlessly. Blood fell without regret down her arm, and back as she moved out of the way.

Her wrists were still held in a pair of shackles, that she broke over one of the youkai's heads. He fell to the floor in a bloody heap, as the other one came at her with a sword on fire. The burning blade grazed her shoulder as she fell to her knees, and stabbed the youkai with one of the frozen staffs.

The pole jutted out from his back, covered in a thick scarlet liquid. Arc turned around and saw that more guards were coming, and that she would never escape that way. So, she turned towards the wall and looked out the window.

Looking down from the tower, she could hear the footsteps getting closer, and she made up her mind.

The wall's bricks were blown out of the way, and rained down on the dirt path beneath it, as Arc jumped down. She landed on her hands and feet, rolling over onto her back, as she broke her ankle.

Without hesitation, she ran off, with a small limp.

XXXXXX

When Hiei saw the partly destroyed castle, he moved along the shadows, searching for Arc. He reached the tower, and saw that no one was in it, so he decided to look in the dungeons, just in case she didn't escape. When he overheard her escape, he bounded off into the shadows, trying to follow her scent.

Where ever she was, she wasn't stopping, and she was moving fast. Hiei had trouble sensing her, and when he used his jagan, she was always on the move. But one thing he saw was more snow. She moving farther up north, towards the mountains.

XXXXXX

Arc finally came to a stop when she reached a small cave. She was tired, and really hungry. But she couldn't find anything to eat, so she just laid down and fell asleep.

XXXXXX

Hiei stopped when her scent was very close. He walked around a small clearing, and than spotted a cave. When he went towards it, he was surrounded by her smell. He looked down and saw her, covered in snow flakes and rags. Her skin was more pale than usual, but she looked... cold.

He stooped down beside her and picked her up, and just held her. She woke up and looked at him, her eyes back to their normal ice blue.

"H-hiei", she whispered, as his warmth coursed through her veins. He stood up with her in his arms, and than sped away.

Arc rested her head against his chest, and almost cried. She didn't deserve to have him, so why was he helping her?

She looked up and saw that Hiei looked very... distant.

'It's my fault he's like that. I'm sorry, Hiei.'

Hiei looked down at her as her eyes began to grow heavy, and then close.

XXXXXX

"I'm not going to apologize!"

Botan shrank back at Yusuke's holler, and than walked away. He just stood there, looking at his mom passed out on the floor. When he heard the door close to the apartment, he cringed. He hadn't meant to shout, but he was getting sick of all of this. He wanted to see Arc, and have her cheer him up. If she were here, she would threaten to kick his ass, and then actually do it. He wanted to see Keiko, and not have her mad at him.

He picked up his black jacket and walked out the door, to try and clear his head. As he walked down the streets, he saw a little kid playing with a big, bright red ball. When he looked closer, he saw that it was the same little boy that he had saved a few years back. He was a little older, but he was still short, and stupid for playing by the road.

"Hey kid", Yusuke called out.

The little boy turned around, and just stared at him. When Yusuke saw his eyes, he took a step back.

"W-what's going on?"

"You're going to die, Yusuke Urameshi", the little kid said. It was kind of funny, to Yusuke anyway, and a bit creepy at the same time.

"What the hell-", he was cut short, as the red ball hit him straight in the face.

"Ow, that actually hurt", he said, as he rubbed his nose.

When he looked down, he saw that the kid was gone.

"Damn kid", he muttered, as he walked off.

XXXXXX

Arc was dropped on her back onto one of the beds at Genkai's. When she felt someone's hands on her ankle, she opened her eyes to see Yukina healing her ankle.

"Thank you", she said tiredly.

Yukina bowed, and then looked at the rest of her. The cuts on her had already healed themselves, and with that Yukina was done.

After Yukina left the room, she noticed Hiei in the corner, with his eyes cast down.

"You shouldn't have come."

Hiei didn't move, nor show any reaction to her words. When he didn't say anything, Arc sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up, only to have Hiei knock her back down.

"Sit."

"I don't want to."

She tried to stand back up, but he pushed her back down.

"Hiei, let me go, now!"

Push.

"Damn you, why do you care? Just let me go, and-"

He pushed her back, and placed both his hands on either side of her on the bed, and stared her in the eye.

"I do care."

She looked away from him, as a few tears became visible in her eyes. But she held them back.

"How could you? After everything I did to you-"

A finger was placed over her mouth, and she looked up at him, a tear slide down her face.

"It doesn't matter."

With that, he kissed her. They fell back onto the bed, and Arc wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tighter to her.

XXXXXX

**OK, if you want a sex-love making scene, than tell me, and I'll see what I can do. If you don't like that kind of stuff, and i write it anyway, than I'm sorry, but I'm the type of person that believes when you love someone enough, than it's OK. As long as you're safe about it, and you don't rush into it. It is a very big step, and it's something not to be taken lightly. All right, I'm gonna shut up now, you don't need a lecture about sex from me. So, please review, and tell me if you think i should do.**

**K, love you guys,**

**Robin**


	8. The Lord's Doll Maker

**READ! One person said that they would like a sex scene, one! Well, I guess i can wait to write it, when more people actually want that. Maybe i will write one, and maybe i won't. I don't really know, but i'm getting sick of people not reviewing my stories. I've actually posted my stories elsewhere, and its the same thing. I have over 400 hits on one site, and yet, only 12 have actually reviewed it. I really do hate people sometimes, so if you don't review my stories, but u read them, than i'm just not going to post them on this site anymore. May sound kind of harsh, but this is something i want to turn into a profession someday, so how can i tell if i'm any good if i get three reviews for every chapter? Apparently not that good of a writer. So, please review if you have any comments, good or bad.**

**The pissed author,**

**Robin**

Chapter eight

The Lord's Doll Maker

Hiei pressed himself firmly against Arc, as he continued to kiss her deeply. Her hands crept up his sides, and entangled themselves in his hair. His hands began to make their way down her stomach, and then under it, stroking her firm belly. When his hands went higher, she pulled back.

"What's wrong?"

"D-do you really want to?"

Hiei nodded his head, and smiled slightly at her. When he saw the unsure look on her face, he was about to tell her she didn't have to. Suddenly, her lips curled into a smile, and she hugged him tightly, kissing him at the same time.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled them back over her head, and then pulled off her shirt. He was about to take off her bra, when they both heard a loud boom. Hiei got up and went out in the living room to see Yusuke being chased by Kuwabara. A chair and a few other things had already been thrown at him, but he wouldn't stop.

Arc came out of the room, still looking a bit under the weather, and saw the two idiots beating up on each other now.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

They both turned to look at her, and they smiled.

"ARC", they screamed as they jumped up and ran over to her. She was suddenly picked up by Kuwabara, and had her head rubbed by Yusuke. Her hair went everywhere, and she couldn't breath, until Hiei knocked them all over. Arc went tumbling on the floor with the rest of the guys, and said sarcastically, "Thanks, Hiei."

Hiei grabbed Arc's arm, and pulled her up from the mass of limbs on the floor.

"Yeah, thanks Hiei", the detective said sarcastically as he pushed himself off the floor.

"Hn."

"Good to have you back. Both of you", he said with a grin.

XXXXXXX

"So, Yusuke. What's this I hear about you and Keiko?"

Yusuke looked up from his cereal bowl, and looked over at Arc. He had spent the night over at Genkai's, after practically falling down the stairs from exhaustion.

"What did Botan tell you?"

"It wasn't Botan, it was Kuwabara. All I wanted to know was what you did to make him chase you like that, and try to beat you up. So, he told me."

"Damn him. Well, I wanted to talk to you about it anyway."

They sat there, eating their cereal, with one person telling what happened, while the other listened. When Yusuke finished explaining what happened, Arc said,

"You should go apologize."

She took another bit of her cereal, and then added.

"Or I'll kick your ass."

Yusuke smirked, and then fell backwards in his chair, that he had being leaning on.

"Ow, my head."

Arc laughed, and then helped him up.

"Just go apologize."

He didn't say anything, as she walked over to the sink, and placed her bowl in. She walked out of the kitchen, as he just sat there.

He finally got up, and put his bowl away, and grabbed his jacket by the door.

"Keiko...", he murmured, as he walked towards her house.

XXXXXXX

Yusuke stopped when he felt something near him. It felt... powerful, and weak at the same time. Whatever it was, it was evil.

He went to go sit on a bench, and searched for it. He sat there for about three minutes, before Keiko popped up beside him.

"Keiko, what are you doing here?"

She didn't answer, but he could tell something was wrong with her.

"Keiko, I know I messed up, and I-I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me anymore."

She still didn't say anything.

"Keiko?"

He looked around, and noticed that the dark energy was closer. He looked back over at Keiko, just as she grabbed him around the throat, and threw him at the building beside them.

Yusuke's back hit the wall, and he fell to the ground, along with some rubble.

"Dammit", he muttered.

"I didn't think you were that mad, Keiko", he joked.

She walked towards him, and brought her foot down on the back of his neck. Yusuke caught her leg, and knocked the other one from under her. She fell down, and he pinned her wrists to the ground.

"Keiko, snap out of it!"

He stared into her blank, brown eyes, and saw that nothing was there.

XXXXXXX

Across from where they were, on top of the building, stood a short demon, with gold eyes, and long, dark purple hair.

He laughed loudly, as he watched the boy and his girlfriend fight.

"He's weak. I don't know why Yutake sent me after him, he can't even stop his little girlfriend from killing him."

He laughed again, as he saw the girl unpin one of her wrists, and shove her hand through his stomach.

XXXXXXX

Blood ran down Keiko's arm, as she kept it there for a few minutes, before pulling it back out of his body. Yusuke's eyes had turned almost as blank as her's, as he just stared at her.

She pushed him to the side, and stood up. He just laid there, not even bothering to try and stand.

XXXXXX

"Now, let's see how she reacts to her love's death."

XXXXXX

Keiko's eyes returned to their normal color, and she looked around before she saw Yusuke on the ground.

"Yusuke!"

XXXXXX

The demon disappeared with another laugh.

XXXXXX

Short, I know. But, I really couldn't think of what else to write. I'm having really bad writer's block lately. I've just been going through some... stuff, that isn't helping right now. So, when I'm done having these stupid moods and moments of depression, then I'll be writing a lot more. I can't write stories when i'm sad, so I'll be posting a lot of poems on fiction press, cause that's all i really want to write right now. So, sorry, and please review!

Love,

Robin


	9. The King's Helpers

Chapter nine

The King's Helpers 

"King Yutaka, the boy has been taken care of."

Yutaka smirked as he looked down at his "Doll Maker".

"Very well. Have you made preparations for the next one?"

The man nodded his head, and Yutaka signaled for him to leave. When the man was gone, he looked out the window.

"Kali, your time will come soon. Don't worry. After Kentaro is finished with the mate of our little half-breed princess, then your time will come, daughter."

The girl stood in the dark corner of the room, looking almost identical to a certain fire princess. Which is why Yutaka had wanted her involved in his plan.

"Yes, Father", she said through gritted teeth, her orange eyes burning with hatred.

Yutaka smiled, but not warmly.

XXXXXX

"Yusuke", Keiko sobbed as she fell down beside him, her hands going to his forehead and stomach.

"Keiko...", his hand raised to her cheek, and she cried more. She looked away, back at his wound, and saw her hand, covered in blood.

"What..."

A few people stood around them, just staring.

"Don't just stand there, help him! Call the ambulance!"

Only one of them shook their head, indicating that he didn't have one.

"Keiko... I..."

"Don't talk. I've got to get you to the hospital."

Yusuke grunted as she tried to pick him up, her tears subsiding momentarily as she got him off the ground, cradling him to her chest. She slung his arm around her neck, and began tripping down the sidewalk, with people staring at her.

'Have to... get him... just about a... block', she thought, as she trudged towards the hospital. It seemed like hours away, when she noticed his body grow quite still.

"Yusuke, dammit! You better stay awake, I mean it!"

His eyes opened slightly, and she almost fell again. The hospital was in sight now, and she smiled.

"We're almost there, Yusuke. Hold on."

Her words were drowned out by the blackness that over took him.

XXXXXXX

Arc and Nari were cooking dinner for Hiei and Kurama, who were both inside the living room, watching T.V., at Arc and Hiei's apartment.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?"

Kurama replied for both of them, and Nari came out with two beers. Hiei took his and gulped it down in one sip.

"Uh... something bothering you", Kurama asked.

"Hn."

When Kurama went to go help the girls, Hiei's eyes widened. He dashed out the window, towards Genkai's.

"Where'd he go", Arc questioned the empty room, as she walked in.

XXXXX

Hiei arrived at Genkai's and immediately growled at the demon who stood on the stairs.

"I do hate to repeat my tricks, but it's what I'm paid to do."

The smirk that crossed his face, vanished as Hiei rushed forward. But someone came in between them, and Hiei stopped, a look of shock hitting his face.

"Yukina?"

XXXXX

"Arc, where are you going", Nari asked.

"I need to find Hiei."

She walked out the door, with Kurama and Nari looking after her.

"Do you think he's in danger?"

"I don't know. It is Hiei, he's well... he's Hiei. He disappears a lot."

Nari looked a bit skeptical, but went back to finish making dinner with Kurama helping her.

XXXXX

Arc could feel something wrong, something very wrong. She felt... completely lost, and confused about everything. There just seemed to be so much pain all around her, and she couldn't tell who it was coming from. All she knew, was that something was wrong, and Hiei was involved in it.

She found herself near Genkai's temple after a long time of walking around, trying to find out where he was. When she saw smoke, she knew something was wrong. She ran towards the temple and was there in a matter of minutes.

Her eyes wandered over the temple, that was part way on fire, while the half was caved in. Hiei was lying amongst the roof, that was caving in. She looked up into the air, and saw Yukina, along with someone else. A man.

Her eyes flashed red for a moment, as she looked at the scene, and understood what was going on.

A small flame wielded its way up her fingers that crawled up her entire arm, and then started to grow. The youkai in the air spotted her, and turned around to look at her.

"Ah, you must be Archer. I'm not supposed to take care of you, but I could give you someone to play with."

Yukina fell through the air, and almost hit the ground, had Arc not rushed forward and caught her. She layed her down on the ground, and looked back up at the him.

"You know, my powers can't work unless the two people care for each other, or have some kind of bond between them. The two love birds earlier, and then the two siblings, and now the two half-breed mates."

He laughed wickedly as Hiei came flying at Arc, his sword drawn, and his eyes as blank as the night.

"Dammit," she swore, as her arm was cut. She pushed Hiei off of her, and kicked him in the side. He fell back, and she jumped in the air, her hand reaching out for the man that dangled in the air before her. He laughed again as she started to go down instead of up, with two hands wrapped around her ankle. She was thrown into the temple.

She hit her head hard, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Hiei standing in front of her, with his sword pressed against her throat.

"Why don't you fight back? You'll both die, no matter what. You should go ahead and make it nice and clean for him, so he doesn't have to go through the pain and agony later. Half-breeds aren't looked upon to fondly in the fire kingdom, and Yutaka has a certain disliking to this one."

The smile that crept across his lips was disgusting, and cruel.

"Say goodbye, or fight back."

Hiei raised his sword and Arc her hand. The blade came down as a string of ice shot from her palm. Hiei's sword stopped right above her chest, as the piano wire like ice shot through the sleeve of his arm and hit the man smiling above them.

A drop of blood fell from his slightly parted lips and rolled down his chin. His eyes glazed over as he stared down at her. His arms uncrossed from his chest and his hand flew toward the string of ice that had imbedded itself in his neck. He tried to break it, but it wouldn't.

Arc let go of the long ice shard, and it evaporated into think air. He fell through the air, and hit the ground. Hiei's eyes returned to normal and the sword was placed back in its sheath. Arc stood up and walked past him to the fallen youkai on the ground.

Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and Arc had to look away from his pale face.

Hiei appeared beside her with Yukina in his arms.

"Where's Genkai," she asked.

Hiei didn't answer her. She looked back over at the temple, and put the fire out. She went to go look through the rubble, but she couldn't find her. Then she spotted a pale hand under part of the roof. She rushed to get her out, and couldn't help but smile as she heard the old woman cough.

"Damn demon! Look at what he did to my temple," She said hazily as she started muttering under her breath.

"And what are you doing here," She asked as she looked up at Arc, who was still smiling lightly.

XXXXX

I know, it's a bit silly, but whatever, its my story. So, please tell me what you thing in a review, and i wish i could thank you all, but there is a new rule out. Fanfiction has now decided that you cannot thank your reviewers in a post any longer, so there is a petition going around to change that, so if you want to sign it, then tell me in a review, or e-mail me and I'll send it to ya.

Later,

Robin


	10. A Child in the Midst of War

**Writer's block sucks. Need I say more?**

Chapter ten

A Child in the Midst of War

Genkai had finally stopped muttering incoherent thoughts and had fallen asleep on Arc's couch. Yukina rested in the bedroom. Kurama and Nari were about to leave to go to the hospital, while Hiei stayed behind to tend to Yukina.

When the door to their apartment closed, Arc turned around to see Hiei walking into the bedroom. She followed him.

He stood there, leaning against the wall, his eyes blank as he stared at his sister.

"Were you going to tell me?" She asked quietly.

"Hn."

Arc glared at him.

Yukina didn't stir as their voices died down.

'Why does he always have to be this damn... difficult? Why can't he just tell me how he feels once in awhile? It's not like I expect him to tell me everything he's thinking, or every feeling of the day. But why... why can't he let me in... just a little? '

Arc frowned to herself and walked out the room. She didn't notice his eyes follow her out.

XXXXX

Keiko sat crying in one of the chairs, her hands covering her face. Yusuke's mom sat beside her, her knees pressed against her chest as she sat with a look of shock on her face. Nari and Kurama had just arrived, while Kuwabara paced the waiting room, yelling at the nurses and doctors that got in his way.

Nobody was allowed to see him yet, and the only people that weren't there were Hiei, who was watching after Yukina, and Arc, who still hadn't arrived.

XXXXX

The young girl with long black hair, and fiery orange eyes stood on the road that lead to the hospital. Her face was completely blank, but her eyes told another story.

She did not want to fight. Especially with the man who stood beside her.

The reason why they were doing this was cruel and pointless. She hated doing it, but she didn't have a choice. If she could pick, than she would rather kill her father than kill the unknowing girl that had just placed herself before her.

"Don't you remember us, Archer?" The man with long blue hair and white eyes asked.

Arc just stared at them. They couldn't be, could they? No, they're dead.

"Archer, our darling daughter, please come with us?" He asked again. A look of love and compassion on his face. A very convincing mask.

"You are not my parents. They're dead!"

The girl, Kali, said nothing. She didn't want this girl to believe them. She didn't want to have to hurt her, but she had to save her...

"Archer, please? Just come with us." She said, her voice betraying her locked up emotions.

"I will not."

The man beside Kali smirked as his eyes fell to the ground. When he looked back up, his eyes glowed an eerie white.

"Too bad you don't have a choice, dear."

Arc and Kali stood there and watched as his hair grew and fell down his back, and his body transformed into that of a long, white dragon. His jaw elongated, and his eyes just grew fiercer, and became slanted. His scaly arms and legs were about as tall as Kali, and his teeth sharp and long.

Arc didn't move, nor did the fire maiden in front of her, until it was time.

"I'm sorry," Kali whispered as she jumped up and disappeared.

Arc was too busy paying attention to the girl when she disappeared that she didn't even notice the clawed hand that threw her into a car.

She landed on top of it and cursed at herself after coughing up some blood. That hurt, right in the stomach too.

"Bastard." She swore as she stood up. He attacked her again with such speed that she barely had time to move out of the way.

A pole of ice emerged from her hand, but was broken in half before she could even finish making it. The dragon's tail shot through it, and than came back and hit her across the face.

She fell down to the ground, hitting the side of her head. What was wrong with her? Was he that strong, or had she just gone soft?

She rolled to the side as his tail came smashing down on the pavement, cracking it. She jumped up at him and stabbed him in the neck with a ice dagger. But it barely broke his skin.

Shit.

Her body smashed into another car again, this time she landed right on the windshield.

'Dammit! You've gotta be kidding me. I'm stuck!'

A blast from the hospital threw pieces of the building onto the ground and on cars below. A large piece hit the window she was currently trapped in and it broke. What luck. Arc stared on in horror as she started to fall through the window, the glass cutting into her back and arms.

'My... friends...'

The black garbed girl that floated in the air beside the now burning hospital turned to look at Arc. She had tears streaming down her face.

"NO!" Arc screamed tearfully.

XXXXX

Yeah, i know, it's short. But i wanted to be evil and leave it at a cliffy. So, please review if you want to know what happens to everyone. So, love ya all.

Later,

Robin


	11. Banishment for the Whore

Ain't got nothing good to say.

* * *

Chapter eleven

Banishment for the Whore

Arc jumped up, drops of blood flying after her as she ran towards the building. She didn't have time to put the fire out, the whole building was exploding in different areas, and caving in. The demon's tail came flying at her, but she dodged it.

She leapt into the air and crashed into an already broken window. The flames licked at her flesh but she didn't stop running. Bodies lay by her feet, but she didn't see anyone that was still alive. She had to be close by.

She looked at parts of the room numbers that were still there, and knew that she was close by. She just had to get there.

She turned the corner and fell to the ground as a the floor above her came crashing down.

"Dammit!"

The wires that hung in her face were melting away, and sparking like crazy. She jumped through them, burning her hair and clothes.

'Where are they!'

She saw the room number and ran inside the room that had the door burned off. Yusuke wasn't in there.

A doctor lay at her side. He was coughing heavily. She picked him up after checking the nurse beside him. She was dead.

With that, she leapt out of the broken window and landed roughly on her feet. She laid the man down on his back and looked him over for a few seconds, but was thrown back away from him.

She looked up to see that damn dragon, one of his clawed hands wrapped around the man's neck.

Arc's eyes were a dark red by now, and she couldn't stop the growl that emitted from her mouth.

He. Was. Going. To. Die.

The doctor fell to the ground and passed out as Arc slashed the demon's arm open. Before he could recover, she sliced the skin on his back open. He hollered in pain, as she surrounded him, tearing his skin apart.

It appeared as nothing but a whirlwind around his body, that had blood mixed in with it.

He fell to the ground, blood running down his white scales, that were no longer white, like a river. His breathing turned heavy as his face hit the dirt covered earth.

He turned back into his human form and smiled sadly before closing his eyes.

"Yutaka... was wrong... about you." He said with his last breath.

Tears slid down Arc's face as she looked back up at the building. Yusuke had to be somewhere, but what about the others? Where were they? Are they all right?

"Arc!" A voice called out. She turned to the right and saw Nari and Kurama carrying two bodies.

She ran towards them and helped with Atsuko and Keiko, who were both out cold.

"Is everyone all right?"

Nari was quiet. Kurama looked at the ground in front of him.

"Kuwabara went to go help Yusuke when the building caught on fire. We... haven't seen either of them since then." Nari said silently.

Arc paled.

An explosion brought the burning building down on them. Nari and Kurama moved out of the way with the two humans as Arc rushed over to retrieve the doctor.

She stooped down to pick him up, but it was too late. She covered his body with hers' as a large piece of the wall fell over on them.

Arc opened her eyes when she didn't feel the impact of the building. She looked up and saw Hiei standing there, with his sword drawn. The wall lay in two pieces on either side of them.

"Fool." He said as he placed his katana back in its sheath.

Arc just stared at him for a moment. She wasn't expecting that to happen.

She didn't even have a come back for that as she stood up with the man in her arms. He was still knocked out.

"Have you seen Yusuke or Kuwabara?" She asked solemnly.

"No." He answered.

Arc stared up at the fallen building tearfully.

'Damn him. I'm not going to let him win.' She thought to herself.

XXXXX

"You did not succeed."

Kali stood before the king with her head bowed, but not in respect or fear. Just out of shame.

"You can't have her back until you complete this mission."

The girl's head popped up, tears flowing steadily down her face.

"Please, just let me see her. Please, father!" She begged.

He laughed.

"You love her that much, do you?" He questioned with amusement. He stood up and walked towards her as she lowered her head again.

"You would do anything for her, wouldn't you?" He asked as he grabbed her chin forcefully and brought her head up. He stared into her reddened eyes that were flooded with tears.

"Y-yes." She choked out.

"Why?"

Kali stared at him with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"Because she was there for me when no one else was!"

He smirked.

"You do not know what all she has done. She's nothing but a whore."

Her eyes blazed with hatred and her nails dug into the flesh on her hands.

"She's my mother. You are the whore, father!" She tensed up her muscles as she readied herself for the oncoming punishment that should have come. But when she felt nothing, she opened her eyes and relaxed slightly.

Her father just stood there.

"Heh, you know nothing, daughter."

He turned around after letting her go and stopped where he stood.

"Next time you see her, ask her why she was banished."

The girl's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at his back.

'Banished? She wasn't banished? She... couldn't have been.'

A hand suddenly came at her and she was thrown back against the wall behind her. She hit the back of her head and then fell to the floor. She groaned quietly as she got up on her hands and knees.

"Do not talk to me like that again, Kali. Or it will be your mother's blood on your hands."

Tears fell to the floor as orange eyes closed shut.

XXXXX

The ambulance left the now smoking building that had people crowded around it. Death, so much death. Why? Why was she always causing it, no matter where she went?

Arc looked away from the crowded streets and jumped down from the tree. She slid her hands into her pockets as she stared at the sidewalk under her feet.

Would it change anything if she left? Would he finally leave her and her friends alone?

"No." She said, as she stopped and looked up at the bright burning sun.

"It will never stop. As long as I'm here, in this world, I will always be sought after."

XXXXXX

Hiei and the remaining others returned to his apartment to check up on Yukina and Genkai. They spread out some blankets and pillows for Keiko and Atsuko, and then waited for Arc to return home.

"Why did she even stay?" Hiei asked in an annoyed manner.

"Because she wanted to make sure that that doctor was taken care of. She should be back soon." The fox said.

Hiei stared at him for a few seconds while Kurama paid him no attention. He was too busy wrapping Nari's burned wrist.

"Hn."

Just then, the door opened and in walked Arc.

Everyone looked at her as she entered the room, her eyes unusually focused on something no one could see. She raised her head and stared at Hiei for a moment. Their eyes locked.

"I'm going back to Makai." She announced.

"What? Why?" Nari asked.

"I need to end this. Yusuke and Kuwabara are dead, as well as hundreds of other innocent people. And it's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back here. It's time I finish this, before anyone else gets involved."

She turned around, ready to head out the door when someone's voice cut through the air.

"Fool, we're already in this. So don't go and be all heroic and die on us. It's not your fault that this guy can't get a life. Besides, we don't know if the others are gone. You know how they like to play cruel jokes on us."

Arc turned back around to see Nari standing up and walking towards her.

"I'm going alone, Nari."

The girl stopped in front of her and said, "Forgive me, but your acting like an idiot."

Her hand raised and slapped Arc across the face. Arc's cheek turned red as she just stared at the corner of the room, where her head had been turned.

Hiei and Kurama just stared on in horror. Waiting to see what the half fire youkai would do.

"You're not leaving without us."

A small smirk crossed her lips before she turned her face back around, the grin getting even wider.

"Just keep up, and don't get in my way."

Nari smiled.

"Just don't die on us, and we won't have to."

XXXXX


	12. Lessons in Makai

Chapter twelve

Lessons in Makai

"Uh, Nari?"

"Yeah." The dog demon said as she looked back at Arc, who was in the back of the group.

"Did Yutaka have a daughter?"

Nari tilted her head to the side and peered at her, giving her a questioning look.

"Yes." She said slowly.

"Why?"

Arc looked down at the ground, her mind racing with thoughts and questions.

"The... girl that I saw. She looked a lot like him. But... she didn't want to fight."

Everyone stopped and turned to stare at her.

"How come no one said anything about her while we were at the castle?"

They all stood there, on a small path under some trees in Makai, after Kurama made them a portal.

"It'll be dark soon, we should find some where to stay for the night." Kurama suggested.

The two girls just nodded their heads as they looked for a cave, so they could have some privacy. (not that kind, u sick little people! JK.)

The boys returned a while after with some wood and they started a fire. They didn't have anything to eat, but no one was really hungry. Not after what had happened.

"You wanted to know why no one ever talked about her?" Nari asked as she placed her doubled bladed sword in her lap, her hand stroking the red leathered handle.

"Hai."

"Well, when Yutaka wasn't that much of an ass hole, he had a wife named Chihiro. She was beautiful and well... trampy. She was banished from the fire lands after she drugged the king and slept with him. (just go with it) When she had Kali, no one knew if it was Yutaka's or the King's, so they banished them both. No one's spoke of them since then."

Everything was quiet. So quiet, you could hear the crickets chirping.

"Then what is she doing back there?" Kurama asked, highly interested now. In both the story and in just hearing her voice.

"I don't know."

Silence, once again. The really awkward kind too.

"Well, than I'm going to try and get some sleep." Arc said as she stretched. She was actually tired, and right now would probably be the only time she'd be able to rest.

"Hn."

Everyone got up, after putting the fire out, and went into the cave. Nari rested her head on Kurama's jacket that he had given to her to use, as Arc curled up into Hiei's arms.

XXXXX

Somehow, during the night, Kurama and Nari ended up in each other's arms. How it happened, no one knows, except for maybe Kurama.

And Nari was not happy about it, though she didn't seem to be complaining about it during the night.

"You pervert!" She screamed into his ear, waking both Hiei and Arc, who did not want to get up.

"Ah!" He screamed as she threw him outside of the cave, and into a tree.

"That's what you get, ass hole!"

She stuck out her tongue.

How mature.

XXXXX

Arc: "Nari, put Kurama down. He didn't mean to slap you on the ass with his rose whip. Did you Kurama?

Kurama: "Uh... uh..."- sweats-

Nari: "Yeah and I believe that. He's done this all before the damn pervert! So why should I put him down? Huh, tell me that."

Arc: "Hm, don't really know. Don't care. Do what u want, just don't kill him. And be careful, don't excite him to much, or he'll turn into Youko."

Nari: "Hmm, well if he turned into Youko that might mean more fun for me. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?" -grins evilly and turns to kurama-

Kurama: -gets in fetal position as Nari starts to... taunt him. he can't control himself as he starts to turn into Youko and walks up to Nari and grabs her by the waist, kissing her forcefully.-

Nari: -Jumps on Youko, knocking him down. So she's now straddling him as Yusuke and all the others walk into the room.-

Arc and others: O.O

Arc: "What the hell are you doing to her, you perv?"

-Everyone looks at arc likes she's crazy-

Arc: "What?"

-Everyone(except Nari and Youko): sweatdrops-

TBC


	13. The Girl in White

Chapter thirteen

The Girl in White

Cough, cough.

"Damn, can't I even get a glass of water over here?" A frustrated voice called out from the darkness.

The two fire youkai's huffed in acknowledgment, but didn't bother to give him any.

"Lazy bastards. Almost died, and they can't even get me a damn cup of water!" Cough.

"Give it a rest, Urameshi. What'd you expect?"

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't expecting to be almost killed by my girlfriend and sent to the hospital, and then have you save me from whatever it was that attacked the hospital, and then get thrown into a cell by those two assholes down there that found us."

Two non threatning glares came from the guards as Yusuke had a small coughing fit.

Then, silence.

"Could you even follow that?"

Kuwabara gave him a glare.

"Yes!"

"Dammit, I wish Arc were here to bust us out. Heck, I'd even be happy if Hiei came to save us, even though he wouldn't say a word to us, but that's better than leaving us here to rot."

Kuwabara was quiet, once again, and playing with something in his hand.

"What are you doing?"

The orange haired ningen lifted his head and looked at Yusuke in an innocent way.

"Nothing."

"Don't bull shit me, what's in your hand?"

"It's nothing, honest."

Yusuke lifted one eyebrow in question before pouncing on him and grabbing whatever it was in his hands, and sat down beside him. Before he could say anything, he coughed a few times and his eyes watered up.

"You were playing... with this?" He asked in disgust as he held up a dead mouse by its tail.

"I like to pet it, cause its soft." (sry, i just read of mice and men and kuwabara reminds me of lennie.)

"You idiot! Did you kill it?"

"No, honest Yusuke. I didn't kill it. It was already dead."

Yusuke looked at him questionably before he threw the dead mouse through the bars. Kuwabara screamed, not wanting his little friend to leave.

"Idiot."

Sniff.

Cough.

XXXXX

"Dammit, I'm hungry." Nari said, her stomach growling loudly to give her words a deeper effect.

Another stomach growled and Arc looked down and grumbled to herself.

"Me too. Might as well get something to eat, or else we won't have enough energy to kick Yutaka's ass."

The other two nodded and went off to go find some fruit and stuff. The girl's went over to a small bush near them and started picking berries, hoping that they were not posionous.

"So, Nari. What's going on between you and Kurama?" Arc asked non to suprisingly.

"Nothing."

"Oh come on, you know you like him."

Nari actually blushed.

"So? He's too much of a pervert."

"And you're not?" She asked slyly.

Instead of blushing like Arc expected her to do, she smirked.

"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing." She answered, turning her head down to look at the berries again.

Everything was silent, and then something dropped behind them, making them both jump.

"Damn you Fox!" Nari yelled.

Arc looked up and saw a grinning Kurama up in the tree getting ready to cut down another piece of fruit.

'What's gotten into him? He's so different lately.' Arc thought to herself as Nari and Kurama started to have an argument about something stupid.

/What are they blabbering about now?"/

Arc looked up but didn't see Hiei. So, she responded with.

/Who cares? All I can see when I look at them when they're like this is that she sooo wants him./

Smirk.

/You know that the fox is in heat right now./

/WHAT/

/Yes. He's just able to hide it better with all his stupid potions he makes. But he can't act normally when he's around her, cause he wants to mate with her of all demons. The idiot./

Arc stared at Kurama and Nari and let out a laugh.

/This should be interesting./

/Hn./

The link was cut and Arc just kept on picking berries, while Nari beat Kurama up, who seemed to be enjoying it.

XXXXX

"They're close by."

"Good." The long haired demon said. He rested his hands on both sides of his chair and looked down at his daughter.

"Now, go and get them. I want you to lead them here."

"Yes sir." She said and then disappeared.

A deep chuckle filled the room.

"They'll never know what hit them."

XXXXX

Foot steps neared their cell, and Yusuke looked up to see a young... girl in a long white dress that dragged to the floor. A white hooded cape rested on her back, covering her face. When she turned her head to look at them, Yusuke and Kuwabara scooted back as her glowing blood red eyes stared at them. They penetrated the darkness and glowed so brightly that both of them thought that blood would suddenly gush out of them.

Long white hair draped over her shoulders that ran down past her stomach. She just stared at them, while her eyes began to glow even more.

The dungeons grew colder, and for some reason, Yusuke knew that the guards weren't down there anymore. And he knew why.

His chest heaved heavily as did Kuwabara's as the cold bit at their exposed flesh. Swirls of white mist began to lift off the floor and the ceiling, twirling down around her feet and her arms before they took shape.

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at the girl with her pale friends.

"Do you like?" She asked in a childish tone of voice.

A few of the ghosts around her slipped off of her arms and danced slowly across the floor and towards them. Both boys held their legs close to them, trying to prolong the cold touch that they knew would come.

When they rested on them, both boys felt a coldness wash over them and then go right through them. Yusuke bit down on his tongue so he wouldn't scream at the darkness and dread that filled him. He began to lose conscionsness as Kuwabara screamed.

The girl laughed as the two of them passed out.

XXXXX

So, the last chapter was a filler, so sue me! Not really, I don't even have enough money to buy lunch at school. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Oh, and if no one has read my little profile thingy than you don't know what i'm doing. Everyone that has EVER REVIEWED **ANY** of my stories will be getting reviews from me for **ALL** of their stories. It will take a VERY LONG time, so if i'm not reviewing your stories yet and you want to send it to me to speed up the process, then go ahead. I don't mind in the least.

Love you guys,

robin

* * *

...

Arc: "I swear, ya'll are all a bunch of horny bastards. Come on Hiei, let's go."

Hiei: "Hn." -follows Arc out of room and into another one, where they are all alone in the dark-

-Suddenly, Hiei is pushed into the wall. But before anything happens Yusuke comes running into the room with Youko running not to far behind, looking extremely pissed for what Yusuke did-

-Then Nari comes running in and yells, "What the hell is ya'lls problems? Cant you give people privacy! I'm mean damn!"

Hiei: "Damn you fools. Leave us the hell alone." -pulls out katana-

-Nari and Hiei start chasing the other two around the room while everyone just stands around looking stunned.-

-Then Kuwabara comes in and sees Yukina standing there and he yells, "YUKINA MY LOVE! I'LL PROTECT YOU FROM THE EVIL PYSCHO DEMONS IN THE ROOM!"

Arc: "I'm out. You guys are acting like a bunch of dumb ass ningens." -looks at Kuwabara- "Except for you, you really are a fucking dumb ass ningen. I hope Hiei kills you." -leaves room-

Hiei: -looks at Kuwabara and smirks darkly as he flashes across the room, scaring the living shit out of Kuwabara who falls on his ass and hides behind Yukina.-

Hiei: "BAKA. GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!"

-Suddenly they here a crash and see Nari walking from the room and Youko sprawled out on the floor unconscious. Everyone's like O.O- "What?... he grabbed my boobs."

Youko: "Sure did! I wanna another feel."

Nari: "Go to hell, you asshole!"

Youko: -runs over to Nari and rips her shirt off, revealing a black bra.-

Nari: -Looks at Youko, then herself, then back again. She jumps Youko and starts hitting him, then she gets up and kicks him in the balls- "THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SHIRT YOU DUMB ASS!"

Arc: -Off in la la land, listening to her CD player.-

Hiei: 'Fucking baka's!'

Youko:-looks at Hiei- "Well at least I'M getting some."

Hiei: (/telepathy/) /I would be getting some if she didn't like to torture me all the damn time/

Nari:-looks at Hiei and starts to laugh hysterically-

Hiei: 'What the hell? Did she hear me?'

Arc/She can read minds you idiot./

Hiei: "Arc? Where are you?" -looks around, can't see her.-

Arc: "In your head. I live here, and I can see everything you can, and I know everything you do. You've been a naughty boy, Hiei. I should punish you."

Nari:-Still on the ground rolling while pointing at Hiei and crying- "She's behind you, you moron!"

Hiei: -turns around- "ONNA!"

Arc: "Time to leave!" -disappears-

Nari: "HEY WAIT FOR ME!"- disappears after Arc-

Hiei and Youko: "ONNA'S! GET BACK HERE!"

-everyone else is standing there O.O-

TBC


	14. A Life For a Life

Chapter 14

A Life For a Life

YAWN!

Arc stretched her arms and cracked her back as she yawned widely again, tears sprouting to her eyes.

"So... tired," She mumbled.

The others felt the same way, but they could just keep it to themselves better. Well, Kurama and Hiei could. Both Nari and Arc were yawning and leaning on each other from time to time. It was just too early to get up!

"Can we stop and rest?" Arc asked.

"No."

"You're such an ass sometimes, Hiei." She replied, another yawn coming on.

He stopped suddenly, and she thought she was in trouble for what she just said. Oh shit!

But to her relief and horror he didn't turn around, instead he said, "Someone's coming."

Both girls straightened up and looked around them. Nothing. A sway of the leaves on the trees and a few leaves dancing off with the wind. And then, stillness.

Oh... creepy!

And of course, it was still early in the morning, so it was just a tad bit dark. Damn Hiei and Kurama for waking them up early, even though the two girls had somehow wound up in each other's arms when they woke up, since they both fell asleep by the fire.

That was a weird sight to see when you first wake up.

Anyway, back to the creepy, dark stillness of the area around them. Nari looked around, her eyes scanning over every branch and damn leaf; nothing moved.

A tree branch swayed.

Hiei pulled out his sword and launched an attack at the harmless tree. Whoever was in had just moved, and had just placed themselves on the dirt path before them.

It was Yutaka's daughter; Kali.

"If you want you're friends back, then follow me."

She disappeared.

Arc immediately went after them, Hiei trying to stop her.

"It might be a trap."

She glared at him, and he just glared right back.

"And I care, because?"

"Hn."

He let her arm go and they all followed after her, unsure of what lay up ahead.

XXXXX

"Eleven... twelve... heheh... thirteen..." The little girl continued to count as she ran her nail across Yusuke's chest, blood seeping out of the small cuts.

"This is boring," She decided and stopped.

She jumped down off the stool and walked over towards the small fire place in the room. She took the poker and placed it in the fire, letting it burn for a few minutes before taking it over to the ningen suspended in the air by a hook and placing it on his naked chest.

Kuwabara bit down hard on his lower lip.

She only giggled.

"STOP IT!" Yusuke screamed for the tenth time.

She didn't listen.

"You two are no fun." She said in an innocent voice that made the hairs on Kuwabara's neck raise. She was creepy beyond all words.

"Leave him alone!"

She didn't pay him any attention as she put the poker back in the fire, letting it get flaming hot.

XXXXX

Nari and the others arrived at the castle a few minutes later. Kali had just jumped through a window, Arc and Nari following after her immediately. When they landed inside the hallway, the window disappeared, leaving Kurama and Hiei outside of the castle.

"Shit, they didn't make it! Those lazy son's of bitches!" Arc mumbled.

"Arc." Nari snapped.

"Huh? What?"

"This really isn't the time. You can yell at Hiei later."

"Fine." She said with a sigh.

Kali was no where in sight, but they knew where they were. They were outside of the ball room. (always the ball room, can't help it. I've never been in a castle!)

The doors opened on their own accord, revealing dark gray brick in the room, along with velvet crimson curtains that draped to the floor. The floor itself was a light gray marble, and both Nari and Arc could see their reflections in it. On the other side of the room rested comfortably in a wooden, velvet cushioned chair, was Yutaka. Chained on the wall behind him, on either side, were Yusuke and Kuwabara. They were pale, both looking like they had just had their energy drained from them.

"Yusuke! Kuwabara!" Arc yelled. Nari just glared at Yutaka still resting comfortably in his chair.

"What have you done to them?" Arc asked, as they neared them. She and Nari now stood before him, glaring at him. Both boys were knocked out cold.

"Not what I have done to them. It's what she has done to them." He said, a smirk gracing his lips.

A girl emerged from behind his chair, her long white hair sweeping after her. She kept her head bowed, but she could feel a pair of eyes on her. Arc's.

Nari was more concerned with glaring at Yutaka.

Arc raised her fist, a blue flame engulfing it. Nari stayed still; calm.

The girl lifted her head, shining her eyes at the two girls. She raised her arm and extended her hand. The room grew cold, and the only one that could feel it was Nari, who showed nothing.

Arc looked over at the two boys as they screamed. She couldn't see anything for a minute, but then saw white mist wrapping around their bodies. They're bodies growing paler by the minute as their voices turned hoarse.

She put her hand down, the flame dispersing.

They stopped screaming.

"What do you want?" Arc asked.

The man snorted.

"What do I want? What could I possibly want from a half-breed like you? You have nothing valuable to me to offer."

"You must want something to go through this much trouble to bring us here." Said Arc.

He grinned at her.

"A life for a life. These two are nothing to me." He looked her in the eye, running his tongue over one of this teeth. The two boys dropped to the ground, and both girls helped them up.

"But, some of the others I found could come in handy."

Arc and Nari both narrowed their eyes at him.

"Then what was the point of capturing those two?" Nari asks bitterly.

Yutaka snorted again.

"I had to get you here somehow, didn't I?"

They stayed silent.

"You were careless leaving so many of your loved ones without anyone to protect them."

"Where are they?" Arc asks calmly.

"I didn't see the need to take all of them, so just the ones that were useful. Which was only one."

"We're not here to negotiate with you, Yutaka." Nari stated coldly.

"You may not, but I am. And neither of you have a choice in the matter."

Nari glared at him as Arc looked over at Kuwabara and Yusuke's unconscious forms leaning up against the wall.

"Who do you have?"

Yutaka smirked as he ordered his servants to bring in their prisoner. The doors opened to the right of them, and in walked a girl with long blue hair, her wrists placed in shackles.

"Yukina." Arc says quietly. If anything happened to her, then she would never forgive herself. Nor would Hiei. She knew that Yukina meant more to him than anyone else in all three worlds.

She wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

Arc let her head droop. "What do you want, Yutaka in exchange for their lives?"

He smiled unpleasantly down at her. He could feel Nari's eyes burn into him, but she mattered nothing to him at the moment.

"A life for a life." He said again.

"Mine for hers." The girl said, her blue eyes staring at the ground.

"Yes." He said viciously.

Arc raised her head, and stared him in the eye.

"Then take me and release them. Let Nari and the others leave without disturbing them. If you so much as touch one of them, then I will kill you."

He kept his eyes hard as he stared at her.

"It's a deal."

The shackles on Yukina were removed and were then placed onto Arc's. She kept her head bowed, until Yukina started to cry.

"Miss Archer, you can't do this. Please. Not for me."

Arc smiled at her.

"If Hiei lost you, there would be no reason for him to live any longer. Please, don't hurt him, just go with Nari. I'll be fine."

"No you won't! You'll die if you stay here."

She grabbed Yukina's hands and and held them in her own, while looking up at her.

"Don't worry about me. Like I said, I'll be fine." She gave her a gentle squeeze and a wink. Her smile didn't falter as Yukina smiled at her, hoping that whatever Arc was planning would work.

"Thank you." She said as she bowed to her.

Nari had stopped glaring at Yutaka, and was now watching Arc. She came up to her and hugged her, placing her mouth beside her ear.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" She whispered solemnly.

"No." Arc whispered back.

"I just had to make sure that she would be leave safely."

Nari closed her eyes.

"Do you want me to tell Hiei anything?"

Before Arc could say anything, she was forced apart from her, the metal digging into her skin.

"Make sure you get them out safely." She told her/

"I will." Nari said. She turned around, and went to go pick Yusuke and Kuwabara up.

"Damn, you two are heavy."

Arc made sure that she stayed and watched as they left. She wanted to make sure that they left safely. As they left the castle, she watched them through the window, her heart racing as they went through the castle, and she couldn't see them. When they came out the front, she smiled lightly.

Then, something hit her. She turned around sharply and looked at Yutaka.

"What about Hiei and Kurama?"

He looked at her dully.

"They're of no use to me. They couldn't even get in my castle."

Nothing else was said as she was dragged off towards the cells. She sighed.

'How am I going to get out of this one?' She thought.

XXXXX

Nari stopped a few miles outside of the castle when she spotted two more bodies on the road ahead. She ran towards them, slowly.

"Damn you fat asses!" She yelled at the two boys she had draped over one shoulder, while the other was under her arm.

The two bodies were that of Hiei and Kurama. They were still alive, but badly beaten up.

Sigh.

"Some protectors you two are."

Yukina rushed over and took a look at Hiei, tears in her eyes.

"Hiei," She whispered frightfully.

He didn't answer. But, his eyes slowly opened. When he saw Yukina, he lifted himself up, a few grunts coming from his mouth.

"Be still, you're hurt." She told him.

He laid back down, and she looked him over, healing a few of his wounds, all the while he stared at her.

'Why is she here?' He asked himself. When he looked around, he spotted the two idiots, the fox, the dog... but no Archer.

"Where's Arc?" He asked coldly.

Yukina started to cry, as Nari walked up to him. She stared down at him. Her eyes were hard and unmoving.

"She took Yukina's place. She is now Yutaka's prisoner."

His didn't move. No emotion registered on his face. His body was stiff, and he didn't even look at Yukina as she cried into his shoulder. He blinked, and that was it.

XXXXX

Oh... so late! I know, but I just wrote all of this in like one day, cause I've had writer's block from HELL! I don't even know where I'm going with this anymore. Anyway, I have a picture that I found, and it looks a lot like Archer to me, so if you want to see it, tell me in a review and I'll send it to you.

Later,

love you guys

P.S. I'm working on the sequel to Dark Waters as we speak, so... yeah. bye

Arc: "You think they'll find us?"

Nari: "Well... Hiei and Kurama might, but not the others. They're freaking idiots."

Arc: "True! So, while we wait for them, you want to get something to drink?" -smirk-

Nari: "HELL YEAH! I'm with you all the way."

Arc: -smirk gets bigger- "Good."

Both walk into bar that is just around the corner. The door slams shut behind them and they get stared down by a bunch of old, drunk bastards. Even though some of them were actually young and good looking, but still drunk. Drool apparent on their faces.

Nari: "Damn, I know we're hot but stop drooling on my leather! WHAT THE HELL? DID YOU JUST GRAB MY ASS! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU PRICK!" -About to attack drunk pervert, her dog ears twitching angrily.-

Arc: -slaps guy on forehead, falls down onto floor and burps loudly- "Yo, calm down, or else you might excite them." -orders two beers-

Nari: "OK, I'll calm down, all right?" -chugs beer and then orders something stronger-

Arc: -sighs as she stares out the cloudy window on the door- "You think we lost them?"

Nari: "Don't think so... hey, what's that red blinky thingy on your shoe?"

Arc: "Huh?" -looks down at shoe- "What the hell?"

Voice from behind her: "A tracking device, onna."

Arc: "Oh shit!" -jumps out of seat and backs away from Hiei and Kurama as Nari just sits there and continues to drink her drink, unfazed by what's going on.- "Uh, Nari?"

Nari: -looks up- "Yeah?"

Arc: -pleads with eyes- "A little help, you crazy drunk!"

Nari: -sighs- "Fine." -chugs the rest of drink and then grabs Arc by arm and drags her out of the bar- "LATER BOYS!"

Arc: -throws the damn blinky, but over all pretty tracking device off of her shoe- "That was close!" -looks around at her surroundings and goes O.O! "Where the hell are we?"

**Half naked men running around them.**

Nari: "A gay strip club, duh."

TBC


	15. You Remind Me Of

Chapter fifteen

You Remind Me Of

Arc looked around her. She couldn't see a thing. It was dark and cold and something... smelled. But it was different than the last cell she had been placed in. She was down in the dungeons now, that's all she knew.

She raised her hands in the air, and two blue flames crackled to life. She looked around the dimly lit room now, noticing that the smell was coming from the cell beside her. She peeked through the bars.

"Loads of privacy down here." She mumbled to herself.

Inside the cell beside her was a decaying body with maggots and flies swarming around it.

Arc scrunched up her nose as she gagged.

"That's sick!"

"I agree."

Arc stumbled back at the voice. She didn't recognize it at all. She looked over at the cell across from hers. Inside it was a demon with long black hair, and glowing red eyes. He looked like an older version of Hiei, he even had a burst of white in his hair.

"Uh, Hi. Um, who are you?" She asked.

He was staring at her. His eyes reminded her of Hiei, making her think that he would suddenly scold her for being so stupid as to _let_ herself become Yutaka's prisoner.

"I'm Akio. You?"

"Archer."

"How long have you been in here?" She asked.

He was still staring at her. It was getting kind of creepy now.

"A few months."

"What for?"

"You like to ask questions, don't you?"

Arc suddenly felt embarrassed. She just met this guy and yet, here she was, blabbing away at the mouth like some... girl would do.

"Ah... sorry about that."

"No, it's okay. I haven't talked to anyone since they took away that woman."

Arc suddenly perched up.

"What woman?"

Maybe he was talking about Yukina. If those bastards hurt her in any way-

"She wouldn't tell me her name. She just kept on saying that she needed to see her daughter and make sure that she was all right."

Two blue eyebrows knitted together. Well, at least we know it wasn't Yukina. Or anybody else she knew.

"Do you know what happened to her?"

The man shook his head.

Arc sighed as she sat down against one of the walls, her head tapping against the wall behind her.

"Well, this is great. I'm stuck down here with a dead body, maggots, no water, no food, no bathroom, and a guy who reminds me of my boyfriend." She grumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." Arc said out loud for him to hear. She hoped he didn't hear all that she had said.

"I'm going to sleep. If you need anything just yell." He called out to her.

She just nodded her head.

'This sucks! I can't even talk to Hiei. He has to contact me first... that's so retarded. If I ever get out of here, I'm making sure that I know how to create links. Cause it would be really helpful right about now.'

The flames had gone out a few minutes later, as Arc was too deep in thought. She was wondering if Nari and the others were all right, and if Hiei was taking care of Yukina, meaning he was too busy to talk or try and help her. Who knew? She didn't blame him though, if that's what he was doing. She's his sister. Yukina was more important to him than she was. She knew that for sure. About the only thing she knew for certain when it came to him.

She suddenly wished he were there with her.

XXXXX

Hiei walked in through the front door of his apartment, Yukina and the others trailing after him. The rooms were still intact, and everyone else seemed to me fine.

But, why? He could have easily killed everyone else. Why didn't he?

Hiei turned around and looked back at Yukina as Nari walked in and placed Kuwabara down.

"Who kidnapped you?"

Yukina looked up from where she was now sitting down on the floor, one of her hands brushing back a few strands of hair from Kuwabara's face.

"I-i don't know. But, whoever it was told me that it was going to be all right. They weren't mean or anything. And it was a woman's voice. But, that's all I remember."

"You didn't see her?" Nari asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.

Yukina shook her head.

Everything was silent for a few minutes before someone groaned. It was none other than Yusuke, who was at the moment, in Kurama's arms.

There was barely any space on the floor, with Keiko, Atsuko( Yusuke's mommy), and Genkai taking up space. Kurama placed him on the floor beside the door to Hiei's room.

When the boy woke up, he grinned up at Kurama.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see you. Where am I?" He asked as he sat up.

"At Hiei's apartment."

The boy rubbed the back of his head before he noticed who was on the couch.

"Mom?" He got up and limped towards her. She was sleeping peacefully, along with Keiko and Genkai who were on the floor where the coffee table use to be.

"What happened?"

Kurama looked up at Nari, who was busy staring at Hiei. He hadn't made any move as of yet to go and help Archer. And if he wasn't going to do anything, then she would.

Yusuke stroked back Keiko's hair as Kurama explained to him what happened.

While they were talking, Nari was still watching Hiei.

"Are you going to do anything? Or are you just going to stand there while that monster rips your mate apart?" Her voice was like acid. It dripped from every word she spewed, making his skin burn.

Of course he was going to do something about it! He just didn't know what! He was afraid to leave Yukina here alone again, even with the others staying back to help. Kurama and Nari wouldn't be able to protect all of them, seeing as Yusuke and Kuwabara were both out of it.

He didn't answer her.

"Hiei?"

He looked up at her.

"If you're not going, then I am." She said as she turned back around and walked out of the door.

The door slammed behind her, making Atsuko wake up with a yelp.

XXXXX

It seems like everyone just keeps on jumping back and forth, to and from Makai! Whatever! I'm sorry this is so short... and crappy, but I got nothing. I know how I'm going to end it, I think, but I don't think you'll like it, not all of it anyway. Some people want a lemon between Arc and Hiei, or a scene where the two fight side by side and everyone's all happy, or... other stuff. I really don't know what I'm going to do. It's kind of what I did in dark waters, the ending I want would make this story into a trilogy. So... voice your opinions and I'll see what I can do.

Love you guys and thanks,

Robin

Arc: -stares at half-naked men running around and dancing on tables- "Um... why are we HERE?"

Nari: -grins as she smacks one of the guy's asses as he walks by.- "Because, straight men would rather die before coming in here."

Arc: "Right..." -Sits down at table and orders a drink.-

Arc: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" -An unclothed ass stops about an inch in front of her face and she grabs her chest, about to have a heart attack.-

Nari: -gone-

Arc: "Nari?" -still no sign of her.-

Arc: "Shit! Nari, where the hell-" -looks up at main stage and sees Nari dancing with two guys, using their legs as poles to dance on-

Arc: "Holy shit..."

Nari: -takes off shirt and throws it into audience of gay men and straight women, all screaming and cheering her on-

CRASH

Arc: -looks towards entrance and sees two things. One, a very very very pissed off Hiei, and two, a very **excited** Youko with drool running down his chin-

Arc: "Oh... fuck..."

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Okay, a few things need to be said. This is for all my stories. Some people want me to make Inuyasha younger, which I understand, but he has two kids and I can't make them all younger, cause it would set my whole story back, so it can't be done. Sorry. Another thing is, I could care less if any of you liked the little one with Relena and her lotion that was just for me. Pathetic as it may be, it was for me to get some frustration out along with writer's block. And one last thing, I don't know when I'll be able to update cause I'm moving next Monday and I don't even know if I'm going to have internet right away. I'm moving in with my dad in North Carolina cause I can't stand to live with my mom anymore. I'm starting a new school and I'm not going to be able to write as much so I hope you guys wait for me, and if you won't, then screw you, I got enough shit going on in my life and I don't need some ass hole yelling at me. I'm not saying any of you do that, but hate mail is not something I need right now.

Sorry if I sound a bit bitchy, but I'm really not in a good mood.

My mom is canceling my account on aol, so if you want to contact me, you're going to have to e-mail me at for everything, and I'll try my best to update as soon as possible.

Love you all,

Robin


	17. I Could Never Love You

**I'M BACK!**

Chapter sixteen

I Could Never Love You

It was cold. A lot colder than it had been before. How could it be so cold in the _Fire_ lands? It just didn't make any sense.

Arc looked around her cell. It seemed… bigger than it was before. If that made any sense. She sat up more and looked out the bars, trying to find Akio. But she couldn't see anything past her own bars. There was nothing but darkness shielding everything.

"Akio." She called out.

No answer.

She tried again and again, and then lit her hand. The blue flame didn't even penetrate the darkness. At least, not outside of her prison.

Arc looked around her cell at the sound of something gurgling behind her. She started to visibly shake from the coldness now, her eyes widening in horror at what she saw.

A young maiden with green-blue hair lay on the floor close to her, a pole of ice embedded deep in her chest. Blood was flowing steadily out the corner of her mouth.

"Yukina?" Arc whispered quietly as she crawled over to her.

The girl in questioning looked over at her, her eyes filled with tears and fear. She was trying to get away from her, even though she couldn't move. She tried to say something, making the blood sputter onto the floor, a drop hitting Arc's cheek.

Then, she stopped moving. Her eyes still open in horror.

"YUKINA!" Arc screamed as she shook her lifeless body.

"What have you done?" A voice behind her asked.

She looked back and saw Hiei standing inside her cell, holding his katana in his hand. Arc started to cry.

"I d-didn't do it! Please, Hiei! You have to believe me!" She cried even more, whispering under her breath over and over again that he had to believe her.

"I have to do no such thing." He said flatly, pointing the sword at her as he walked closer to her.

"Please! I didn't do it!" She screamed over and over again.

He stopped in front of her, resting the blade at her neck. Tears fell down and ran off the end of it.

"Hiei… I didn't do it. I love you."

"And I never loved you." He stated coldly.

XXXXX

Hiei couldn't believe he was doing this. He hated leaving something so precious behind, not being able to protect it. He hated it! But he had to save Arc.

And when he did, he was going to yell at her for being so stupid.

Nari had left before him, but she was far behind him now. Her speed was next to nothing compared to his.

He dashed off at a higher speed as he saw the castle in the distance.

XXXXX

The blade slashed down her chest, ending at her navel. She held back a scream at the pain. But the pain was nothing compared to what he had just said.

"I never loved you." He repeated.

Arc felt a slash at her heart again with his words, as if the sword had taken another bite at her flesh.

"H-hiei?" Blood formed in her mouth, making her choke and throw it up on the floor.

He bent down and grabbed her roughly by her hair, bringing her eyes up to meet his.

"You make me sick." He told her, his eyes colder than she had ever seen them.

Tears flowed steadily from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, digging her fingers into the cut. Arc forced her fingers in the cut deeper and deeper, making more blood pour out of it.

"I'd rather die than listen to you." She told him.

He smirked.

"You're more pathetic than I thought."

XXXXX

Hiei arrived a few minutes later, going straight for the dungeons. It wasn't long before he started to hear voices. One was a male's voice and the other's was none other than Arc's.

He looked through the darkness and spotted Arc in a cell. She sat up on her knees with her eyes staring straight ahead. A sword lay by her side.

"You make me sick." The man's voice said. Hiei glanced over at him and stared. He looked way too much like himself for his liking.

Hiei smelled blood coming from Arc, which he expected, but what he didn't expect were the tears trailing down her face.

"Arc," He said.

She didn't hear him.

That's when he saw what she was doing. Her fingers were forcing a wound on her stomach even wider. He was about to stop her when she said something.

"I'd rather die than listen to you." She said.

"You're more pathetic than I thought."

She stifled a sob.

"I still love you, Hiei." She whispered.

"I could never love you, Archer."

Akio's body fell limply to the side, his head falling to the ground separately. Arc screamed as she fell back to the floor, choking up blood.

"Arc!" Hiei said, his tone slightly worried. He was beside her in seconds, picking her up and looking down at her wound. It was self-inflicted.

She closed her eyes and he screamed her name, taking off with her clutched in his arms.

XXXXX

Oh, don't you just want to kill me? Yeah, you know you do! Okay, well I got like thirty minutes before school starts. It got delayed cause of the snow! Man, I'm really loving North Carolina! Anyways, sorry its so short but I just wanted to get you guys this before you choke me. Plus, I love leaving it at cliffys! HAHHA!

Love you all,

Robin


	18. When Worlds Collide

Chapter seventeen 

When Worlds Collide

"I didn't do it…please, believe me... I didn't do it… I didn't do it… I didn't do it… please, Hiei, believe me… believe me…"

Hiei looked down at Arc. She had been mumbling those same lines over and over again for the last hour and a half. Whatever Akio had made her see was bothering her greatly.

"It was just an illusion." He would whisper into her ear every few minutes as he took care of her wound. Of course, he didn't have much of anything to do that with, and the slash wasn't healing itself like it was supposed to. Why? Why wasn't it healing? Was it too deep? Was it because she thought she was still stuck in that dream world that that bastard had put her into?

These thoughts went through his head as he watched her lips move as she spoke the same words.

There was only one thing he could think of that would stop the bleeding and help her. But she wasn't going to like it.

Hiei placed both his hands over the cut, covering it completely, the blood seeping through his fingers. He concentrated all his energy into his hands and watched as black flames spread over his hands and over her stomach.

She screamed and tried to get away from him, but he put more pressure on her, holding her down until he was sure that the cut was completely closed up.

"AH! YOU BASTARD!" She screamed at him as she sat up, her hands wrapping around her stomach.

He just pushed her back down, a little too forcefully as her head hit the ground hard.

"Get off of me."

"Hn."

"Hie-"

He looked down at her as she stopped talking suddenly. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared up at him, confusion settling in her eyes.

"It was an illusion, baka onna."

She didn't say anything as she turned her head to the side, away from him.

"What did you see?" He asked her.

At first she wouldn't say anything. That is until he said that he would find out one way or another. Meaning he would use his jagan whether she wanted him to or not.

"I saw… Yukina… and you." Arc said slowly as she stared contently at the wall of a cave, tracing the patterns in the dirt with her eyes.

He knew she saw more than that. And he wanted to know what would be so horrible that she would try to kill herself over it. He waited patiently for her to tell him what else.

After a few minutes of silence, he knew she wasn't going to say anything else unless he pressed it.

"And?"

She closed her eyes. She couldn't do this. That same damn scene played over in her mind like a broken record and it wouldn't stop. Whether her eyes were open or closed, she could still see it.

A hand on her forehead brought her back to her senses as she finally looked up at him. He had the bandana from around his forehead laying by his side, his jagan blinking down at her. She momentarily froze under its stare. Before long, everything that she had seen was now fluttering across the lids of Hiei's closed eyes.

The hand on her forehead grew hot with anger, as he witnessed her pain. She could feel his energy bristling with hatred towards the now dead demon that had toyed with her emotions like that.

Hiei's eyes opened and he looked down at her, his eyes more calm than usual.

"Illusions." He told her once more, forcing his words into her thick head.

Arc slowly nodded her head as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then she felt herself being lifted up and opened her eyes to find herself in Hiei's embrace.

"Hiei?" Her soft voice spoke. She still wasn't acting like herself.

"Don't you ever leave me again. Ever." His voice wasn't harsh or cold, but it was stern, as if asking her to disagree with him. But worry was lined in with it.

Archer smiled suddenly, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I won't. Promise." She whispered into his ear.

XXXXX

"You know that we have to go back, don't you?"

Hiei didn't even bother to look down at her. Arc rolled her eyes at him as she picked at the cloak he had given her to wear. It was actually rather comfortable and at least it covered up her ripped up shirt.

"You can't keep me cooped up in this godforsaken cave for another day! I'll go crazy and eat your eyes. All three of them."

Hiei grunted at her.

"I'm serious, I got a thing for eyes. (Totally stole that from my friend Dom! I love you!) Now get off of me!" Arc shouted as she tried to sit up, again. Hiei just shoved her back down, while sitting on her lower body. She growled at him in annoyance.

He was going to pay for this.

"If you're this stubborn about letting me out of a cave, then I'm never going to sleep in the same bed with you. Or do _anything_ in bed with you! You'll probably never let me leave, or chain me down to the damn thing!"

Hiei smirked for a second as he thought about it. Arc saw the feral look on his face and started to laugh nervously.

"Um… I didn't just say that."

"Yes, you did." He stated.

Arc hit the back of her head against the ground a few times while making a whining noise and muttering under her breath.

Looking at them now, it was hard to believe that they were having a serious moment a few hours ago.

"Hiei, if you don't get off of me now, I'm gonna fry your ass!"

Hiei snorted.

"That's it!"

Small blue flames started to slowly make their way up Arc's arms as Hiei continued to sit on her. Her hands suddenly lashed out and grabbed his butt. He jumped up off of her and Arc stood up as well. She was about to make her way out of the cave when she was thrown up against the wall.

"You know, I'm going to have brain damage one of these days. And I blame you." Arc told him in a monotonous voice.

Hiei growled at her.

"Don't do that ever again." He told her through gritted teeth.

She didn't answer him. She was currently ranting in her head about the injustice of it all.

Oh, so he can be mad at me for touching his butt but I can't be mad at him for putting me under… cave arrest!

When he let go of her, she righted herself and made her way out of the cave. He stood in her path, but didn't get a chance to stop her as she came to a halt on her own. He turned around and looked outside. He couldn't see anything out of the normal. A hand on his shoulder brought his attention back to Arc.

"Can you smell that?"

Hiei gazed over at her. She wasn't looking at him, rather at the scenery behind him. At the same moment that he saw a small shift in her eyes, he smelled it. He couldn't believe that he had missed it. It was so heavy and strong now that it was almost suffocating.

It was ice.

XXXXX

Nari knew something was wrong the moment she saw the castle. Even through all the damage it sustained in the last few months, it was still standing tall. It hovered over the surrounding treetops and mountains, looking more monster-like than most demons.

However, it wasn't the castle itself that set Nari off. It was the black dots that lined the walls and towers along with the three fires burning at each tower. Three red and black-flags larger than the ones being held by demons were blowing in the wind over the fires. She could hear cheering and yelling coming from the soldiers lined up.

She could smell something too. Amidst the fire, fear, and stench of men that didn't bathe, she caught the scent of ice. Nari froze, her eyes widening in realization. She snapped out of it and looked around for Yutaka, not seeing him or smelling him amongst the men. She couldn't tell if he was in the castle, but had a feeling that he wasn't. He wasn't completely stupid, just spineless.

When Archer's uncle was still in power, he had been negotiating with different tribes of ice demons. In the mountains behind them were the ice dragons, which were almost extinct. Past them were the different tribes of ice maidens and she-wolves. Every single one of them traveled in small packs and was hardly ever seen by other demons.

The lands where the Fire kingdom now lay were in the territory of the Arctic Ring, and the ice demons had been forced further into the mountains and forests. Even though the king had been a good man, he was still greedy when it came to expanding his kingdom. Through the years, he was able to keep the peace between them, and was smart for it too.

Ice demons are supposedly gentle in nature, but in truth, can be more brutal than any other youkai in Makai. (Yukina and Hiei's home or people, whatever, are not included in this!)

Yutaka must have angered or ignored them. Either way, he brought a war on his people and made a run for it at the same time. And by the smell of it, the tribes had banded together and were coming for them.

A thought struck Nari as she searched for another scent. She couldn't find Arc, and she was wondering now if Yutaka had been planning on using her for this war. It wasn't in his nature to accept that she was stronger than him, so he must have had some other use for her other than to make her fight. But what would that be?

He must have run because she was no longer in the castle. Nari guessed that someone, most likely that little bastard Hiei, came to save her and were now miles away. Boy was she wrong.

Her ears twitched as she looked behind her. Her nose was invaded by the smell of cold flames coming from behind her. She could also smell a blazing heat known as Hiei as well.

"What's going on?" Arc asked as she dropped down from Hiei's arms.

"Yutaka started a war with the ice tribes and then ran away like the coward that he is. I don't know where he is, but if we don't stop this now, then everyone in the fire kingdom will be wiped out. I don't care how strong fire youkai's are, your uncle didn't want to fight these tribes for a reason. He was afraid of them."

Hiei glared at her while she spoke, but she ignored him. His ego was the least of their problems right now.

"Well… how the hell are we supposed to do that?"

Nari bit her bottom lip as she looked around them. The tribes were closer now.

"I think Yutaka wanted to use you against them. I don't think he wanted you to fight them, but he had a plan for you. I just wish I knew what it was."

Archer stared at her for a few minutes, wondering what she was talking about. Why would Yutaka want to use her? How could she possibly stop them? She was an ice demon, that was true, but she was also mixed. And almost every demon in Makai had a problem with mixed blood. Whether it was with a human or a demon of a different race-

"Wait. How do the ice tribes treat their half-breeds?" Archer asked, already fearing an answer she wouldn't like.

Nari's eyebrows furrowed together.

"I don't know about all of the tribes, but I know that it usually depends on which one you come from. If you come from the she-wolf clan, then they have to deem the child worthy or unworthy. If it's worthy, then they raise it. If not, then they eat it. It's the same for the dragon tribe. The maidens though, they usually kill them. But there are other tribes as well, but we've never really had a problem with them. And I don't smell any other tribes other than those three."

Hiei glanced over at Arc. He could see the thoughts and ideas flashing through her mind without even using his jagan.

"You can't talk to them. They'll kill you." He told her.

Arc narrowed her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"We have to try something. As much as I dislike most of these demons, I can't let the others die for their mistakes. If I can't talk the tribes out of this, then maybe I can at least be of some help and fight."

The two lovers glared at one another, not even paying attention to a worried Nari.

"Could you two fight later? We need to do something now!" She pleaded.

Arc turned towards her and said, "Keep him occupied."

With that, she disappeared. Arc couldn't run as fast as Hiei, but she could still cover some serious miles in a few minutes. She had been barely running for ten minutes when she spotted something bulky and white up ahead. It was hard to see with the snow and dense trees all around her now, but it came into closer view as she slowed down.

Arc stopped in front of a white dragon that she guessed was male. The hairs from his chin and back falling down to the ground. He had clear blue eyes and yellowed teeth that were too long to hide in his mouth with it closed. His beard alone gave away the fact that he was old, but Arc could tell by his eyes that he was more than just an aged dragon.

Behind him were smaller, less impressive dragons of various whites and blues. Some of them had purple eyes or even white irises with no pupils. Arc could tell that some of them were girls by the color of their hair. Whereas all the males, as far as she could tell, had white hair, the females had blue hair. The same color as hers'.

Scattered off to the side were women who were taller than the average man. They must have been about seven or eight feet tall with slender, yet sturdy looking bodies. The ice maidens had wispy gray hair that seemed to have a life of its own as it danced behind them, looking like waves in the water. An imprint of dark blue in their foreheads looked like something close to a snowflake, though each of theirs was the same. Their arms and hands were long, ending in four digits that were supposed to be fingers, but looked more like twigs.

Arc was reminded of a willow tree after she looked away from them. She knew that the she-wolves were somewhere in the back, or perhaps already making their way up ahead, but she couldn't waste any more time by staring at them.

She bowed as low as she could on her hands and knees, exposing the back of her neck to the dragon elder in front of her.

"Please… don't attack the fire kingdom. It's not the people's fault for what their king did to you and your clan. If you want your revenge, then find the runaway king Yutaka and do as you please. After this day, he is no longer a member of the fire nation and will be killed on the spot if he returns to these lands." She said loudly, her voice cracking at some parts.

A few minutes of silence passed before the elder answered her.

"Who are you?"

XXXXX

Sorry it's been such a long wait, really. Anyway, I've got internet now, and I'm all happy. But now I've got school… and lots of it. damn school. Anyway, I'll try my best to be a bit more…. Not procrastinating. This story should be coming to an end in about a chapter or two I think. Then… it may become a trilogy, but only if you guys want it too. If you want more then tell me, and if you want a third installment to this series, then tell me and I'll do what I can.

Love you guys,

robin


	19. Sense of Duty

Chapter eighteen 

**Sense of Duty **

Nari was having a hard time trying to keep Hiei away from his girlfriend. So far, the tip of her tail had been singed and a cut was on her right cheek. She hadn't even scratched him yet, and he wasn't giving up.

"Just wait, Hiei. This is important. It's not just for the kingdom, but also for Archer. Those tribes are her family. She has every right to speak with them." She told him as she dodged the swing of his sword.

Hiei just growled at her before putting his sword back in its sheath and turning towards the woods.

"I'll give her five minutes."

XXXXX

"Archer, the rightful heir to the fire kingdom. I was charged falsely of attempted murder and replaced by Yutaka. My uncle was the king before him and was also killed by Yutaka. Unfortunately, he's an underhanded demon who has brainwashed the kingdom into believing everything he says."

"Why are you telling me this?" His soft voice asked. As fast as his questions came, they didn't seem random or unplanned.

"Because I'm hoping that you will not attack my people for being misguided and abandoned by a king who has mistreated you and your tribes as well."

"He has not mistreated us, young one. He has done far worse than that and it is time that he takes responsibility for his actions."

"And you have every right to give it to him. However, he's gone. I don't know where he is, but if he is ever seen again, then I will put aside my own grudges against him and hand him over to you." The young girl said. Her head was titled back now, her eyes staring up at him in a pleading manner. She wasn't begging. But she was putting herself into a position of absolute defeat and submission.

"Why do you care so much for these people if they won't even accept you?" The dragon asked, the hair on his chin moving with his question.

"Because they are my people. It's my duty to protect them, no matter the costs." She answered automatically.

"And what about your duty to us? You are apart of our tribe just as much as you are theirs."

Arc didn't have to ask him how he knew. It was evidently clear that she was more that just a fire demon. Anyone in Makai could have seen that.

"I have duties to you both and do not wish harm to either side. Which is why I'm asking you to stop before you go to war with my people. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Archer stated, her eyes closing briefly as she let out a tired sigh.

"For now, our two nations will be at a stand still. However, if the situation does not change with due time, then I cannot promise that we shall stay that way."

The creatures moved on silent feet back into the forest and disappeared behind the elder. He kept his eyes on Archer as she still stayed in her kneeled position.

"Come and see us soon, Archer. I have a feeling that there is much to be discussed between us. And good luck." He told her with a smile, the sides of his white face wrinkling up as he too disappeared into the snowy trees.

XXXXX

Back at the castle, the soldiers were growing restless, and Hiei was about to retrieve Arc when she came out of the forest. Her face was blank, but there was a sense of tranquility around her.

"What happened?" Nari asked as she rushed forward and grabbed the girl by her shoulders.

"We're off the hook for the time being. Now all we have to deal with is Yutaka's advisors and the council. They need to be taken care of. Maybe we should have a few executions tomorrow." She said almost day dreamily. Nari gave her a questioning look.

"Are you serious? The tribes won't attack us?"

"Only for now. We have to clean up Yutaka's mess and come up with some kind of agreement with the ice nation if we want to be at peace with them. And also, if Yutaka is seen, he has to be captured alive and turned over to the tribes. As much as I want to rip his head off myself, I kind of promised him to them."

Nari's eyes narrowed at those words. She gained control of herself though, knowing that at least the kingdom was safe for the time being. She could deal with Yutaka later.

"Where's Kali?" Arc asked.

Both Hiei and Nari looked at her suspiciously.

"Probably long gone by now. Why?" The dog demon stated.

Archer shook her head, her long blue hair falling over her shoulders. She started to walk towards the castle, a half crazy thought swimming through her head. She had noticed the similarity of the girl and her mother when she had first seen her. But after finding out that Kali's mother was banned from the kingdom after sleeping with her uncle, she had a feeling that she wasn't who she said she was.

"I don't think so. I think she's still here."

Nari and Hiei followed the blue haired girl into the castle, not bothering to ask anymore questions.

"Nari, can you find her for me?"

The dog demon just nodded her head and sniffed the air. It was hard to find one fire demon in a kingdom full of them. Although they each smelled of fire, they also had another specific scent with them. This girl smelled a lot like a hot day during the summer mixed with the usual scent of fire.

After searching for a few minutes, Nari picked up on her scent and went in the direction of the kitchens. Kali wasn't in there. But past the kitchens was the storage room and wine cellar. The three demons walked down a ladder that led into the cellar and blinked at the darkness.

Arc lit both her hands and walked beside Nari, who was still sniffing the air around them. They walked down the small passageway that narrowed the further they went. After the ceiling lowered and started to brush the tip of Hiei's hair, the tunnel came to an end. Nari was hunched over a little as she looked at the scene before her.

The fire demon was sitting up against the walled in tunnel, her arms cradling another woman on the floor. By the fire in Arc's hands, the two women looked almost exactly alike.

"Kali?" Arc whispered as a pair of ginger eyes blinked surprisingly up at her. The girl tightened her arms around the other woman more as she glared at them.

"Leave us alone." She said harshly.

"We're not here to hurt you." Arc answered, even though she could feel Hiei tense up behind her. She didn't know that Kali had been the one to kidnap Yukina.

"Please… just leave us alone." The girl said again. Archer bent down and smiled at her.

"Yutaka's gone. He won't hurt you. And we won't hurt you… or your mother." Arc told her.

XXXXX

Kali carried her mother all the way back up into the main parts of the castle. She put her mother into one of the beds and watched the other three demons in the room.

Arc had momentarily forgotten about the rather large army still expecting a battle outside of her castle. They could wait for a few more minutes though. She needed to get something straightened out now.

"Kali… who's your father?"

Nari and the two fire demons gave Arc a look that said 'are you crazy?' They all knew who her father was so why was she asking the obvious?

"Yutaka." The girl answered automatically. As much as she hated the idea of even being partly related to that bastard, she wasn't going to lie about it.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." The girl snapped. She didn't know why the girl before her was being so nice to her when she should have hated her. And she didn't like all these questions.

"Why don't you ask your mother?"

Kali turned to look at her mother on the bed. The woman was tired and unhealthy. Yutaka had been keeping her hidden in different places within the castle the whole time that she had been there. She had always looked for her, but had never found her, until now. She had been wondering why it was so easy to find her all of a sudden. She hadn't known that her prick of a father had left the castle.

"She's sick. Can't you just let her rest for now?"

Arc looked at the two women momentarily before nodding her head. She had a kingdom to take care of at the moment anyway.

XXXXX

As much as Arc would have liked to execute every single one of those damn councilmen and advisors, she could only get away with three of them. She didn't want to come off as a tyrant during her first day back on the job. The rest of the traitorous demons were banished from the fire nation and were to never to step foot back in it if they wanted to live.

It had been weeks ago that she had been trapped in the cells below her rooms on the third floor. She had given the master rooms reserved for the king and queen to Kali and her mother. There were so many people walking in there every day to check up on them both that she thought it was best that they had the biggest set of rooms the castle had. Besides, she liked having a bed that could only fit her and Hiei. And she was sure that Hiei didn't mind either. Even though he would never admit something like that to her.

"Hey, Hiei-chan!" Arc said in a singsong voice, as she got dressed for bed. She pulled the long cotton white gown over her head just as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Don't ever call me that again, woman." He hissed into her ear.

"And what if I don't listen?" She teased him as she turned around in his arms.

He growled at her before lowering his head to bite the side of her neck. His arms tightened around her possessively as he kissed his way up to her lips. Hiei stopped his mouth an inch away from hers' and said, "Then I'll do this."

He pushed her onto the bed and crawled on top of her. His fingers traced the curve of her hip over the fabric of her nightgown before he pushed it up. Arc's hands grabbed onto his shoulders as he pulled the dress up to her waist, dislodging her hands as he took the gown off over her head.

"I just put that on, you know." She teased lightly.

"I know." He whispered into her collarbone as he worked off the remainder of her clothes. Arc felt nervous with his eyes looking over her naked body. It wasn't uncomfortable… just new.

She pulled on his cloak, tugging at it to signal that she wanted it off. Hiei smirked as he pushed her hands back down to her sides and kissed her stomach. Her muscles clenched as he took off his cloak and shirt and threw them into the corner of the room. She reached for his pants just as a knock came at the door.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Arc muttered as she made to get up and pull her robe on, but a hand stopped her.

"Hiei, I've got to answer the door. It might be something important." She told him as he ran a hand down her chest and onto her stomach. Her breath hitched slightly and he ignored the second knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Arc finally managed to say.

"It's Nari. I was wondering if your boyfriend left to go back home yet."

Nobody answered and then a moan could be heard through the door. Nari laughed.

"Never mind. That answers my question. Don't wear yourself out too much, you have a meeting with Koenma tomorrow at ten."

With that said, she walked off, not bothering to hear the lack of response she was getting.

XXXXX

The next morning, Arc woke up to an empty bed. She felt the covers next to her and could still feel the warmth from them. So, Hiei had just recently gotten up, eh? Then where was he?

A knock followed by the door opening entered her room, making her hide behind the blankets on the bed.

"What the hell?" She almost screamed as Nari came in, a secretive smile on her face.

"Hello, Princess Archer. Did you have fun last night?"

"Morning to you too. What do you want?" She asked groggily, rubbing the sand from her eyes.

"I told you that you have a meeting with Koenma. You arranged for this and today was the only time he could get to meet with you. So you better hurry up if you want to keep your ten o'clock meeting."

Arc jumped out of bed and rushed around, completely forgetting her lack of clothing. But she didn't really care. She needed to talk to Koenma as soon as possible.

Nari left the room, a blush on her cheeks after seeing Arc's backside. The doors closed behind her and a presence popped up behind Arc as she hooked her bra.

"Why are you seeing Koenma?" Hiei asked her.

"I need to ask him a favor." She answered him as she pulled a long black skirt on. She tied the string to keep it up and then put on the long sleeved black shirt that went with it. It had silver cuffs at the wrists and funky symbols on the left side of her breast, also in silver. She pulled at the collar and frowned to herself. She really needed to take a stop by her place and get some of her clothes or get someone else too. It's not like Hiei would do it, the lazy bastard.

"What kind of favor?"

"You'll find out sooner or later. It's not really that important, but it needs to be done if I'm going to be living in Makai now." She said in a serious voice. She stopped pulling at the collar as what she said dawned on her. Arc knew that she was going to have to take care of her people and the kingdom, but she had never really thought about living in Makai for the rest of her life.

"Tell me." A voice whispered in her ear.

Arc flinched and pulled away from him. A small smile graced her lips as she said, "Shh. It's a secret."

She ran out the doors, leaving a naked Hiei standing there with a scowl on his face.

XXXXX

After being chased by a shirtless Hiei through the castle, waiting for Botan to make a portal, and told to wait in the waiting room, Arc finally entered Koenma's office. The baby-god was sitting at his desk with a cup of tea steaming next to him.

"'Ello, dear Koenma." Arc said cheerfully.

The baby jumped up at the voice and hit his head on the desk. Arc covered her mouth as she laughed. Koenma just sat up and glared at her.

"What do you want?" He asked irritably.

"Nice to see you too." She told him as she sat down in front of him on the desk. He tried to shoo her off of it but she picked him up and sat him down in her lap. She grabbed the hat off of his head and put it on her own head.

"You've got a big head," she informed him as the hat tilted a little to the side on her head.

"Hey! Give that back!" He whined.

"Nope."

Arc jumped off the desk, Koenma still in her clutches, and sat down in his spinning chair.

"Okay, down to business."

"What do you want?" Koenma asked with irritation. He wanted his damn hat back.

"I need a favor."

Koenma looked up at her from the girl's lap, his eyebrows furrowing together slightly.

"What kind of favor?" He asked warily.

"I need you to erase someone's memory for me."

"Erase it? Who's?

"Just erase the parts where they have memories of me." She told him, her voice never rising or lowering. Koenma thought she looked somewhat comical with his hat on her head and a serious look on his face.

"Who?" He asked again, not liking where this was going.

"My adoptive parents in Ningekai."

XXXXX

I'm sooooooooooooooooo sorry that this is late and well… crappy. But I want to end this thing already. Now that I've randomly thrown in Arc's other family, this will probably be a trilogy, but only if you guys want that. If I don't get some kind of answer about that, then I'll just wrap this up within the next chapter or so. If anyone's still reading this then know that I love you and want to give you German chocolate, Hiei and Archer plushies, and uh… a nude poster of Youko. Actually, that's what I want, but I'll give it to you guys anyway.

Love you all and thanks for the long and overdue wait,

Robin


End file.
